


St. Lawrence High

by imthehumanembodimentofmyotp



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Castiel/Dean Winchester - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Minor Dorothy Baum/Charlie Bradbury, Minor Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Minor Lucifer/Michael (Supernatural), Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-03-04 09:07:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13361295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthehumanembodimentofmyotp/pseuds/imthehumanembodimentofmyotp
Summary: Dean Winchester is new to Lawrence, Kansas, having just moved there with his younger brother Sam. He quickly befriends Charlie, Kevin, and Castiel, an odd group that quickly becomes something akin to Dean's family. He never expected to fall in love, and never did he think he would fall for his best friend.Destiel focus, background Sabriel, Michifer, and Charothy. High School A.U.





	1. Moving In

Dean set the last box down on the floor of his new room. He straightened up before placing his hands on his hips and looking around with an exhausted sigh. The room was white with bare walls, a small ceiling fan, and a bed pushed into one corner. Dean walked over and collapsed on the bed before hearing a faint knock at his door.

"Come in." He said, allowing the visitor in question to enter the room that now belonged to him. His younger brother, Sam, entered and looked around. He put on a fake pout and spoke to Dean.

"Aw man, why did you have to get the big room?" He whined, a joking tone in his voice. Dean sat up and grinned at his brother, laughing ever so slightly at the 15 year old.

"Because I'm older and I would kick your ass for this room, bitch." Dean replied with a cocky tone. Sam pulled out the bitch face, and Dean laughed.

"Jerk." Sam grumbled. "And you aren't that much older. You're only 17. Which is only 2 years." Sam crossed his arms and shot a glare at his older brother.

"But you're only 15. Which makes me older and stronger than you." Dean shot back with a triumphant tone in his voice, which he followed up with a smug grin. Sam huffed, shook his head, and walked out of Dean's room with a look on his face that could kill a man, raise him from the dead, and kill him again.

He watched his brother leave before collapsing back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He groaned and stood up again as he heard his father call his name from downstairs. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, which was excessively clean. It was as if no one had ever lived here, even though the house was about 10 years older than Dean was.

"I swear this is going to be the last time we move. I found a high school for you and Sam to go to. It's just around the block, so you'll have to walk, but I hear it's the nicest in the district. So be grateful, and try not to get expelled like you do everywhere else, you insufferable little dick." Dean clenched his jaw and nodded before walking away and leaving his father there alone. He didn't notice that his hands were balled into fists until he felt his nails digging into his palms. He took a few deep breaths and relaxed, reminding himself that John couldn't hurt him much longer.

From the time he was 4, up until he was 16, John had beaten Dean. Whenever Dean complained about something, or got a bad grade on a test, or accidentally hurt Sammy, John had cornered Dean in his room and beaten him. It started small, just enough to hurt him without it being visible, but as Dean got older, the injuries inflicted upon him got worse. Soon, he had bruises littering his arms, scars on his back, and many more unspeakable things. However, when Dean turned 16, he had had enough and threatened to call the cops. That was enough to make John back off, but the emotional abuse still came everyday.

Dean shook his head to clear the memories that flooded his mind and went back up to his room. He shut the door behind him, sighing as he looked around at all the boxes he had yet to open. He leaned down and opened one, only to be greeted by his CD collection. He smiled and shook his head. Why hadn't he labeled the boxes?

After 2 and a half hours of unpacking, Dean looked around at his room. He had all his clothes in his closet and his dresser, all his posters up, and all his CDs in the display case he had bought last year. He sighed, looking at the unmade bed, which was just a mattress with some sheets, a comforter, and a mattress pad folded on top of it.

And so, Dean spent an hour trying and failing to make his bed. He got the mattress pad on just fine, but sheets did not want to cooperate. Every time he got one corner down, another would come off from where he had secured it. He finally got the sheets on after 45 minutes. Then, to his dismay, he couldn't get the comforter on without it wrinkling up in one spot when he straightened out another.

Eventually, he gave up and left the bed as it was. The comforter was wrinkled in a spot or two, but at least the sheets underneath were decent. He sighed and went to Sam's room to see how far he was into unpacking. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a muffled 'come in' from the other side. He twisted the knob and and gently shoved the door open. He saw Sam struggling with a larger box, and walked over to help him. He lifted it, placed it on Sam's already made bed, and opened it.

Inside were pictures from all the homes they had ever lived in, all the schools they had ever gone to, all the friends they had ever had. Dean picked one up, looking at it with an empty feeling in his chest. The picture was one of Sam and Dean sitting on their mom's lap, Sam on one leg and Dean on the other. The picture was from when Dean was in kindergarten, about a year before their mom had died tragically in a spontaneous combustion of her car on the highway. Dean smiled fondly at the memory of his mother, as old and cloudy as it was. Dean was 6 when she had died, and was old enough to remember her happily and with childlike admiration.

Sam walked up behind Dean and pulled the picture from Dean's fingers and inspecting it carefully. He smiled and looked up at Dean, who still had a hint of a tiny smile on his lips.

"I remember this. This was your first day of kindergarten, right?" Sam questioned. Dean nodded and Sam smirked in an evil way before continuing. "Yeah, I remember because you were a mess of blubbering tears. There you were, with your little leather jacket, crying your eyes out because you didn't want to leave mom. Yeah, that was hilarious."

Dean flushed red and glared at his brother before yanking the picture away and putting it in the box. He closed the box, took it off the bed, and carried it out into the hall. He slammed the door and heard muffled protests from Sam but ignored them. He set the box down in the hall. Walking to the garage, he went into the box marked 'Dean's tools' and grabbed a hammer and some nails before heading back to the hallway where he had left the box of photos.

He sighed, picked a nail out from where it was pressed between his lips, and started hammering it into the wall. Once he got the first one in, he grabbed the picture of him, Sam and their mom and hung it up, smiling fondly at the memory of his mother. Making sure it was straight, he picked another nail from between his lips and moved a foot or so further down the hall, and hammered it in. The next picture that he hung was of him and his best friend from 3rd grade, Benny. He smiled at the memory of his friend. Benny was the same height as him, although he had a slightly thicker build, and a Cajun accent. He stood there looking at the picture for a minute before moving on to the next one. The pictures were a variety of both old ones and new ones, although the newest picture was at Sam's 14th birthday, which was almost 2 years ago. There was one of Sam's first say of kindergarten, one of Dean's 5th birthday, one of Sam and his ex-girlfriend Amelia, and so many more that it made Dean feel nostalgic.

When all the pictures were hung, Dean stepped back and admired his work. Sam walked out and looked at the hall, which was now filled with pictures from the both of them growing up. He pulled Sam under his arm, which wasn't very difficult because the kid was about 5 inches shorter that him, although he was still 5'8", and rubbed his knuckles into his skull just enough so that it would irritate and not hurt him. Sam groaned and pulled out from Dean's grasp, giving him a light kick in the shin.

"Jerk." Sam muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his long hair and fixing it after Dean had messed it up.

"Bitch." Dean replied, playfully elbowing his younger brother in the side. "Want to go get lunch? I'm pretty sure I saw a burger joint on the way here. It can't be more then a few miles away." He was answered by a loud growl emitting from Sam's stomach and a hopeful grin on his face. They walked downstairs and Dean grabbed the keys to his '67 Chevy Impala, which he called Baby. Dean had gotten Baby as a 16th birthday present from his dad. Baby was broken down at the time, and was pretty much unusable. John had gifted the broken car to his son with the words 'if you can fix her, you can keep her.' Dean worked on that car with all his free time for a solid week, and couldn't have been prouder when he got it working.

They drove to a place about 2 miles away called Studio Burger. They sat down at a booth and looked at the menu, Dean smiling slightly at the sheer number of burgers they were able to prepare. Sam, however, frowned slightly at the lack of healthy options. He sighed, then put down the menu whilst shaking his head in disapproval. Dean decided on his favorite option, a bacon cheeseburger with pecan pie.

"Name's Meg, welcome to Studio Burger, what can I get for you today?" The waitress asked with a monotone, borderline sarcastic tone. She was pretty, with shoulder length curly brown hair, a black leather jacket over her uniform, and red lipstick. Dean winked at her and flashed a flirty smile before handing her his menu and ordering.

"I'm gonna have a bacon cheeseburger with fries and pecan pie." She rolled her eyes, used to getting hit on by the customers. She turned to Sam and raised an eyebrow.

"What about you?"

"I'm just going to have a salad, please." She smiled sweetly at Sam, impressed by his manners.

"Ok then. I will be back with those in just a little bit. Oh, and you, hot stuff, I have a boyfriend. So make like a bee and buzz off. Got it?" She smiled sarcastically and tapped her hand on the table before walking away, leaving the boys alone. Sam chuckled lightly, amused by what had just happened, and Dean shut him up with a glare.

A few minutes later, Meg came back with their food. She set the plates down in front of them and Dean winked at her and Meg shot him a dark glare. Sam stifled a laugh as she walked away. Dean rolled his eyes at his younger brother and picked up his burger, eyeing it hungrily. Biting in, he looked like he hadn't seen food in months.

About half an hour later, they finished up their food and paid. They walked out and got in the impala, Dean revved the engine and smiled. He looked at Sam and raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question. Sam grinned and nodded, and Dean backed out slowly before flooring the gas pedal and tearing out of the parking lot with the tires squealing. Dean drove to an abandoned factory and pulled into the parking lot before shifting gears and doing donuts that left skid marks on the asphalt.

An hour or so later, they went home and Dean locked the car before pocketing the keys. He patted the hood with a small smile on his face and then walked in the house.

When he got up to his room, he changed into his pajamas and shut off the lights before collapsing on the bed. He rolled over and turned on the alarm before welcoming the warm embrace of unconsciousness.

~~

I know I'm not even close to the best writer on the planet, so feel free to let me know if there are any mistakes. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first part and I hope you like the rest of the story. :)


	2. First Day

Dean woke up with a groan, slapping the alarm clock that was beeping on his nightstand. He rolled over, almost falling off the bed before standing up. He stripped himself of his pajamas and walked over to his closet. Yanking the doors open and rifling through his shirts. He finally decided on a gray t-shirt with the AC/DC logo on it. He put a pair of jeans on, threw on some socks and shoes, and brushed his teeth. Quickly getting his hair just the way he wanted it, he knocked on Sam's door.

"Hurry up. I'm leaving in 10 minutes, with or without you." He heard a muffled 'Kay' from the other side and walked down the stairs. He opened the fridge and wasn't surprised to find it empty. Sighing, he thought, I'll just have to go without breakfast. Why does John have to be so damn lazy? He slammed the refrigerator shut and walked away. He checked his watch, reading the time. 6:50. No one should ever have to get up this early, especially not for school. He grabbed his signature leather jacket and headed upstairs to yell at Sam.

He raised his fist to pound on the door and alert the 15 year old, but before he could, the door swung inward and Sam stood there, his bookbag over his shoulder and ready to go. He grinned up at Dean and brushed passed him. They walked out the door and got into the impala, Dean smiling despite it early and their destination being school. As long as Dean was driving baby, it didn't matter what time or how early it was.

They pulled into the school parking lot about 5 minutes later. So much for walking, John, Dean thought bitterly. He got out and slammed the door shut, pocketing the keys. Walking into the building, he had a confident look on his face and still received the 'new kid' stares that he was far too accustomed to. He merely ignored them and walked to class, sitting down and pulling out his phone. He put in his headphones and turned on Metallica, turning off the outside world with his confidence radiating off of him and pulling in even more stares from people as they walked in the classroom. The bell rang, and he turned off the music with an exasperated sigh. He pocketed his phone and looked around, taking in the classroom and the 25 or so other students in the room. The teacher up front, Mrs. Naomi, spoke in a loud, commanding tone, forcing Dean's attention to her. She was about 5'9", with her dark brown, almost black hair up in a neat bun. She was wearing a business suit, which gave off the aura the she wasn't one for fun and games.

"Alright. I'm Ms. Naomi, and this is U.S. History. You're all juniors, you should know how classrooms work. I do not tolerate any foolishness, late homework, or gum chewing." Dean rolled his eyes as Ms. Naomi turned around and faced the board, pulling down the projector screen and displaying the day's notes. Groaning quietly, Dean pulled out his notebook and started jotting down the notes on screen.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the hour. Dean quickly shoved his his things in his bookbag, standing up and slinging a strap over his shoulder. He glanced at his schedule before heading out the door. He walked down the hall and entered the classroom. At the teacher's desk in the corner of the classroom a man in a high collared black jacket with a red t-shirt underneath. He was talking to boy in a black dress shirt with a gray tie and a black suit coat. Dean curiously raised an eyebrow at the boy's attire, but shook his head slightly and walked to a desk in the back middle of the classroom. The bell rang, and the kid that was talking to the teacher sat next to Dean. The kid turned to face him and stuck out a hand.

"Hello. Crowley. I presume you're the new kid?" He had a Scottish accent, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Dean took his hand and shook it, a little confused by the boy's formality.

"Dean. Yeah, I'm new here. What's with the tux and pretty much everything about you that makes you wear the tux?" Crowley shrugged.

"It scares kids. I think it's funny, so I keep doing it." Dean nodded in understanding before turning away from Crowley and pulling out his phone. He scrolled through his dash on tumblr until the bell rang, then put his phone in his pocket and turned his attention to the teacher up front.

"Hello. I'm Metatron. This class is easy, as long as you pay attention and turn stuff in on time." Metatron was short, and other than that he wasn't very noticeable. Dean tuned him out and waited for class to end.

As the bell rang, Dean packed his stuff and walked out the door, looking over his schedule. He sighed in relief upon seeing that he only had one more class before lunch. His stomach was practically eating itself from the lack of food. He walked down the halls, keeping his head up and traversing through the flood of kids. He looked around as he stepped inside of his next class. The teacher was sitting at his desk, his back straight and his eyes darting around the classroom, surveying the students with a cautious intensity. He had dark skin, hair cut to a buzz with a line that seemed to be receding before Dean's very eyes, and a dark glare that sent a small shiver down Dean's back. He was wearing a tux that was very similar to Crowley's, but he had a white shirt instead of a black one. Dean was a bit puzzled by all the formality in this school, but he shrugged it off and sat down. The bell rang, signaling the start of his third class, and the teacher, Mr. Raphael, or Mr. R, started talking, and his voice was so peaceful that Dean soon drifted off.

He woke up with a jerk to the sound of the bell, and he packed up quickly and strode out of the classroom. He navigated his way to his locker, where he got the rest of his stuff for the day, and then walked to the cafeteria, surveying the students around him. He got a lunch, which consisted of Mountain Dew from one of the vending machines, a cheap slice of pizza, and some curly fries. He dug in, even though the food kinda sucked, and watched the busy kids around him.

He never really got talked to on the first day, so he was shocked when someone stood over him, looking at the ground sheepishly. The kid in question was wearing a brown button-up with a light pink t-shirt underneath.

"You're Dean Winchester, right? The new kid everyone keeps talking about?" Dean eyed the kid suspiciously before nodding. "I'm Kevin Tran. Do you mind if I sit here?" Dean smiled a little and nodded.

"Go ahead. Nobody else will. My brother has a different lunch than me." Kevin smiled gratefully and sat down across from Dean.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's your back story? Who is Dean Winchester?" Dean tensed up, the memories of his childhood flooding his memory. He shook his head slightly and Kevin got a sad look on his face. "I-I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want. I was just a little curious." Dean breathed out a heavy sigh.

"It's fine. My childhood was just a little rough. I avoid bringing it up if I can. It's not you, if that's what you're thinking." Dean smiled slightly as Kevin immediately brightened up.

"Oh, alright! That's fine, I don't really like to talk about my childhood either. I just like to listen to people tell their stories. So at least tell me where you moved from." Kevin being talkative didn't bug Dean like it normally would have. Instead, he found it kinda funny, and thought it made him unique.

A girl with red hair plopped down beside Kevin glancing at Dean and smiling widely.

"Hey Kev. So this is the Dean Winchester I've heard oh-so-little about? You are Dean Winchester, right?" Dean smiled at the girl and nodded. She stuck a hand out and Dean shook it, laughing at the silly grin on her face. "I'm Charlie, your favorite neighborhood lesbian. Also your only neighborhood lesbian."

"Hey Charlie." Kevin said, grinning at her. "So what have you heard on the girl's gossip chain lately, aside from anything about Dean and his hotness?" Dean blushed furiously, causing both Charlie and Kevin to laugh.

"Oh come on Dean. You honestly think that many girls would stare at you if you weren't hot?" Charlie asked, raising an amused eyebrow. Dean shrugged, and forced himself to calm down, making the blush go away.

"So from what I've heard, there are already rumors about Dean, including one that you're gay or at least bi, seeing as how no one has seen you check out any girls yet. Oh, and Cas finally came out." Dean raised an eyebrow at the mention of someone he hadn't met just yet. "Oh, you haven't met Castiel Novak yet, have you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Dean shook his head anyway. "He's kinda quiet, and really really shy. And he's even gayer than I am. Which I can't believe is even possible."

Nodding, Dean smiling at thought of anyone being gayer than Charlie. He had barely known her for 10 minutes and he could already feel the gay radiating off of her. If this Castiel was really as gay as Charlie and Kevin said he was, he would be able to tell just by saying hi.

"Other than those I wouldn't say there was anything huge. Hannah was being a slut, but when isn't she, um, Hael was a bitch to Anna again, so they got in yet another fight, Lucifer got suspended yet again, you know, all the usual shit that goes on here." Dean laughed at her usage of the words usual shit, and Kevin just grinned and shook his head. Charlie smiled. Dean looked at the two. He could tell he was going to like it here.

He talked to Kevin and Charlie until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. He stood up grinning at both of them.

"Should we sit here tomorrow? With this Cas that I feel like I already know because you two described him to me in excessive detail." Charlie and Kevin laughed.

"Sure. We'll just have to tell him not to get his hopes up, because from what I can tell so far, you're as straight as an arrow." Dean tried not to let his grin falter as he felt a weight in his stomach. He hadn't come out to anyone yet, and he certainly wasn't going to come out to two random kids that he barely knew. Charlie noticed something and squinted, examining him. She covered her mouth with a hand as she gasped.

"You're not straight, are you? Oh my Chuck, Dean Winchester is bi." Kevin smiled. They saw his face fall, and Charlie winked at him. "Don't worry. We won't tell anyone if you don't want us to." Dean sighed and the smile on his face returned. He quickly thanked them both, then darted off to class as the warning bell rung.

The rest of the day flew by. Dean's classes were easy, and he had Kevin and Charlie in two of them. The teacher's weren't really uptight, unlike Mrs. Naomi and Mr. R. He found Sam's last class after he got out and waited for him to stop talking to his teacher. When Sam finally walked out, Dean pulled him under his arm and gave an affectionate noogie.

"Dean! Cut it out! I'm 15, not 10! This isn't funny anymore!" Sam whined. Dean rolled his eyes but let him go anyway.

"Alright bitch." Dean grinned as he heard Sam mutter a quiet 'jerk' under his breath. "So how was you're first day? Meet any friends? Girls specifically?" Dean knew that Sam missed his ex-girlfriend, Jess. She had died in a car accident not unlike their mother's a few months before they had moved. Sam lit up, and Dean sighed quietly with relief.

"No, I didn't meet a girl. But I did meet this guy, his name is Gabriel, but he goes by Gabe. He has hair that's just a little bit darker than yours, and he carries candy around everywhere. He's really funny, he plays pranks on people all the time." Dean smiled and patted Sam on the shoulder.

"So, is Gabe like a friend or..." Dean trailed off, raising an eyebrow. Sam laughed.

"He's a friend, dumbass." Dean smirked. Sam elbowed him in the side, a light blush scattered across his nose and cheeks. "Dude. I'm straight. Not bi. Unlike you." Dean stopped in his tracks and his face went pale.

"Ho-how did you know?" He whispered. Sam stopped, his jaw practically on the floor.

"I was joking. I-I didn't think..." Sam covered his mouth with his hand. He shook his head, clearing him of whatever thoughts were running through his head. He smiled. "Oh well, it's not like it matters. You're still my brother, this doesn't change that. I love you and I always will."

Dean smiled and hugged his little brother. Sam was too precious for this world. He was so glad he didn't know about Dean's dark past with his dad. He walked out of the building, and opened the door to the impala. He turned on the radio and grinned as he heard his favorite song blasting through the speakers.

Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more

Dean drummed along with his hands on the steering wheel. Sam laughed and joined in, singing the guitar part and air guitaring, which earned a laugh from Dean. He pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards their home.

He was right. He was going to love it here.


	3. We've Gotta Get Outta Here

Dean didn't realize he had fallen asleep in his clothes last night. He only knew that when he woke up to his alarm blasting Heat of the Moment by Asia that Tuesday morning, he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and let the world forget about him. But, sadly, he couldn't. The alarm didn't shut up, so he groaned and rolled out of bed, falling on the cold carpet before he pushed himself up. He decided to only change his shirt, as nobody would notice anything else. He pulled out a plain black shirt, and pulled on a red and white flannel on top. That seemed to be his thing that he had with Sam, a love for flannels. He picked up the necklace he always wore, the small bronze amulet that Sam had given him for Christmas when they were young.

He went downstairs to see his dad standing at the counter, leaning on it and supporting himself with his hands. Dean froze in the doorway when he saw John watching him in a way that he hadn't in almost 2 years. He began to back out of the kitchen, but was stopped by a growl from John.

"Get in here, you little asshole." Dean sighed and obeyed, not wanting to cause the trouble he hadn't experienced since he was 16. He shot a glare at John, which was returned with equal distaste. John crossed his arms. "So, you're a bisexual fag?" Dean froze, and he tried to keep his emotions from playing across his face. Of course, he failed, and his skin went pale as John uncrossed his arms arm shook his head at ground. "I want you out by this time next week. Take your brother with you. I never want to see either of you again." He said in a lowered voice. Dean nodded, sighing internally with relief.

He went upstairs and knocked on Sam's door. Sam opened up, and wrapped his arms around his older brother in understanding.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to, but he threatened to move us again if I didn't. I couldn't move after a day." Dean pulled out of Sam's arms and put his hands on his shoulders. Sam looked up and was surprised to see a smile on Dean's face.

"It's ok Sammy. I wanted to get out of this house anyway. The things that man has done and said to me give me more than enough cause to hate him. Now neither of us ever have to speak to him again." Sam smiled, and they walked downstairs and out the door, avoiding John. They got in the impala and drive to school, Dean jamming out to Bon Jovi along the way, the pulled into the parking lot and went their separate ways. Dean went to talk to Charlie and Kevin and Sam went to class.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Dean said, walking up to Charlie and Kevin. They turned around smiled at him, revealing the boy in a white button-up shirt and a tan trenchcoat that went down to his knees.

"Dean, this is Castiel, the guy we were telling you about yesterday at lunch." Dean waved awkwardly, a light blush forming on his cheeks. Castiel waved back just as awkwardly, the blush on his face a little darker. Dean couldn't help but stare and blush, the guy was hot. He had piercing blue eyes that seemed like they could look into your soul and hair so black it put the night sky to shame. The blush on his face grew a little darker as he realized that Castiel was staring at him with equal intensity. Charlie cleared her throat, trying to remind them that both she and Kevin were still there. Dean's blush turned a prominent red as he looked at the ground, a small smile on his face.

Charlie glanced at Kevin with a huge grin on her face. They exchanged knowing glances.

"So, um, I-I should get to class." Dean muttered, scrutinizing the tile pattern on the floor. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off, not realizing that all three of the people he had left behind were staring at him, and Cas was blushing in a way that would put even the darkest red to shame.

"I ship it." Charlie and Kevin said in unison. Cas just smiled and shook his head before walking away and heading to class.

Dean couldn't focus in History class. All he could think of was Cas. The way his shirt fit him, the way his hair was styled, but the thing about Cas that Dean just couldn't get out of his head were Cas' piercing blue eyes. The way they shone in the light, the way they held every secret that Cas had yet to share, everything about Castiel was held in those eyes.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the bell. He put his things away and walked out of the room, glancing around even though he knew his chances of seeing Cas were slim. When he didn't see him, he sighed and walked to class, looking at the floor. He only looked up when he bumped into someone trying to get into his classroom. He didn't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't Castiel. Dean blushed and ducked his head again, muttering an apology.

"It's fine. I'm just hoping this is a one time thing. Not us seeing each other, I mean us bumping into each other." Cas rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and grinned awkwardly at Dean. Dean let out a little laugh before stepping back and gesturing towards the door.

"After you." Cas chuckled and walked into the class. Dean followed and sat down in the back corner of the class. Cas sat next to him and Dean turned to look at him.

"So, you're the Dean Winchester that Charlie told me so much about. Well, at least one of the rumors was right. You are pretty hot." Both of the boys flushed red and Dean just stared while Cas looked away. Thankfully, the bell rang, saving them from the awkward silence that had settled over them.

Before they knew it, the bell rang yet again, signaling the end of the class. Dean packed up and avoided looking at Castiel. He scurried out of the classroom, leaving the boy in the trenchcoat behind. Cas stood there and watched as Dean left the classroom. At least I got a few words in before everything got awkward, Cas thought.

Dean sat down in his next class, his face still a little bit red. He couldn't focus on anything Mr. Raphael was saying. All he could think of was Cas, how he had been staring at him, and why on earth had he called Dean hot. All too soon, the bell rang and signaled the end of class. Dean went to his locker and grabbed everything he would need for the rest of the day. He found Charlie and Kevin in the cafeteria and sat down, still thinking about Castiel. Then, Dean felt someone sit beside him and he turned. His face went red as he saw the boy in the trench coat sitting there.

"So, Dean, why so flustered?" Charlie asked, waggling her eyebrows at the pair sitting across from her. She rested her head on her hands and her eyes darted between the two of them. When she noticed the small smile on Cas' face, she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Castiel Jimmy Novak, what did you do to the poor Dean? He's only been here a day and a half, give him some time to adjust before you flirt with him." Dean went even redder and stared at the table, causing Kevin and Charlie to burst into laughter.

"Charlie, oh my Chuck, I have an amazing discovery." Kevin said once he was able to stop laughing. Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked at Kevin seriously before a wide grin split her face.

"Please tell me it's fandom related."

"Kind of. Charlie, the discovery is..." He trailed off, a mischievous grin on his face as he and Charlie picked up a mini drum roll with their fingers on the table. "I found my otp." They finished up the drum roll with a small flourish and began laughing again.

"So what do you think for the ship name? Deastiel? Deancas? Ooh, ooh, I know, I know! Destiel!" Dean just sighed. He looked up at the three people sitting with him.

"Oh, guys, I meant to tell you this morning, but I completely forgot, John kicked me and my brother out of my house." They all shut up and looked at him with concern. Dean just shrugged. "John is my father by the way."

"How did he find out?"

"When do you have to be gone?"

"You aren't going to leave town are you?"

The questions came at him all at once. Until one pierced through and got to Dean amidst the bombardment of concern and curiosity.

"What is even going on?" Castiel's deep voice cut through the air, silencing Kevin and Charlie. Dean looked at him and then back at the two sitting across from him.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Tell me what?" Castiel squinted and cocked his head. Dean looked at Cas and took a deep breath. He shut his eyes so he couldn't see Cas' reaction.

"I'm bi. God, that's still so weird to say." He opened his eyes and looked at the boy in the trench coat. Castiel smiled, and Dean was entranced. God, he's so beautiful when he smiles. Cas did a fist pump in the air.

"Yes! Now I know that all my attempts to flirt with you actually have a shot at going somewhere!" Dean blushed as Cas, Kevin, and Charlie all laughed.

"Ok but seriously dude, when do you have to be gone? And do you need a place to stay?" Charlie asked, concern tinting her voice. Dean smiled at her.

"I have to be out by next week. I'm not really sure where Sammy and I are gonna stay." Dean thought for a moment.

"Wait a second. Sammy? Who's Sammy?" Castiel looked at Dean, a curious look on his face.

"Oh, Sammy is my little brother. He's only 15." Cas raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You mean Sam Winchester?" Dean nodded. "Does he by any chance know a kid named Gabriel?" Dean nodded, furrowing his eyebrows. "That's cool. Gabriel is my little brother. His pranks get really annoying. You should've seen what he did to my brother Lucifer about a month ago. But you should let your brother know that he is gay as gay can be. But not as gay as me."

"Dean, you said you and Sam need a place to stay, right?" Kevin asked, bringing the group back to the matter at hand. Dean nodded, wondering what Kevin could be planning. "Well my mom has a small apartment that she rents out that's only a few blocks from here. There's enough room for the both of you, and I'm sure my mom would let you stay there for a while."

Dean smiled, genuine happiness and gratitude taking over.

"Thanks, that would be awesome. How much is rent? I found a part time job at this auto repair shop that's just outside of town. I'm sure I could pay for it." Kevin shook his head.

"I'm positive she'll let you have the first month free. She is like the kindest person I know and she hates it when someone gets kicked out of a home because they simply aren't understood."

Dean sat there, a little shocked. He nodded.

"Ok." He whispered. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. They all got up and went their respective ways. But before Kevin could get anywhere, Dean stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Kev, I owe ya one." Kevin nodded and smiled before walking away.

Dean was so glad John had kicked him out.


	4. Moving In... Again

Dean closed the box that contained the last of his things. He looked around the room that he had lived in for five days. He sighed, smiling at the thought that he would never have to see John again.

"God, I am so not going to miss this place." Dean reminisced. He stepped out into the hallway and saw the pictures of his childhood alongside his brother facing back at him. He walked into Sam's room and grabbed the box the pictures were in when they came. He stepped back out into the hall and began taking them down, not caring about the holes the nails had left in the wall. He smiled as he put the last one away, shutting the box and sealing away any remnants that he and Sam had ever been a part of that homophobic asshole's family. He knocked on Sam's door and walked in, smiling upon seeing the bare walls.

"So, you almost ready to go, kid?" Sam smiled at his older brother and nodded.

"I just want get away from John. I can't live with that homophobic douche." Dean smiled at his little brother and laughed.

"I can't either. I'm just glad we already have a place to stay. Plus it's free for a little while, which is awesome, seeing as how I couldn't afford this months rent even if I wanted to." Sam chuckled and Dean grinned. Dean squatted down and picked up a box, motioning for his little brother to do the same. "Alright then. Let's just get out of this place."

About twenty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of John's house for the last time. They only had to make this last trip to get everything, and then they were finally free from John's abuse and all the problems he had set on them from a young age. No longer would they have to deal with his drinking, the long nights without him when he should've been there, or the delusions of creatures that go bump in the night.

After their mom's death, John had become obsessed with the paranormal. He would go off for days at a time, claiming to be hunting demons and monsters when all he did was get so drunk he couldn't remember anything the next day. He believed something in the paranormal world had caused their mother's car to combust. This belief had become even stronger after Dean's first girlfriend, Lisa, and her little brother Ben, had died in a freak accident. Dean had to take care of Sam because of how often John was gone, and was more of a father to both of them than John ever was.

Dean put the last of their things in the trunk of the impala and slammed it shut. He took the key to the house off of his key chain and chucked it at the house, smiling as it hit the door. He got in the car and grinned at his brother, revving the engine. He pulled out of the driveway with a squeal and tore off towards their new apartment.

Once they pulled up in the parking lot, Dean smiled as he saw Charlie, Kevin, and Cas standing there, waiting to help him and Sam out. Dean parked the impala and got out, slamming the door at the same time Sam did. Dean walked to the back and popped the trunk.

~~time skip~~

Dean and Sam set the last of their boxes down, looking around the apartment that was now theirs. Dean grinned at his brother and Sam gave him a high five.

"Now the only things we have to do are unpack and argue in court for me to be your legal guardian." Sam grinned at Dean and Dean pulled him into a hug. "Should be easy, I mean to we do have legal reason." Sam laughed a little.

"True. Now can we just get started with putting stuff up? I just want to forget we ever lived at that house with that jerk." Dean responded by walking over to a box labeled 'Dean's clothes' and opening it. He picked it up and took it to the room he had claimed and began unpacking things.

Once they were done setting up the basics of their rooms, Dean realized they couldn't nail things into the walls. He went into the living room and picked the keys up from on the counter where he had set them.

"Hey Sammy, I'm gonna go get some things to put on the walls so we can hang these pictures and stuff up. I should be back in about half an hour." He called. He heard a faint 'k' in response and he walked out the door, shutting it behind him and making sure it was locked. He went down to the parking lot and got in the impala, smiling as he turned the key and the engine turned over. He backed out and headed to the store, mentally checking off what they had and what they would need.

After about 5 minutes, he pulled into a spot in the parking lot of a local store, he stepped out of the impala, shutting the door behind him and locking it before putting the keys in his leather jacket. He entered the store and looked around before walking to the home improvement aisle.

He grabbed some hooks that used adhesive that didn't leave marks to stick to the wall, some frames for posters he and Sam had, and two small whiteboards for Sam to be nerdy and keep his thoughts organized with. Then, he went and got things to make food. He grabbed everything he needed for burgers, and some vegetables, or rabbit food as he called it, for Sam.

He checked out and went back to the impala, putting the groceries in the back seat before getting in and heading back to the apartment. He went up the stairs and opened the door to the apartment, calling to Sam.

"I'm home. I brought stuff to make burgers, and I got your rabbit food. Why do you even eat this stuff? You're 15, you should be living off of any junk food available." Sam walked out of the room he had claimed as his and took some of the bags from Dean, setting them on the counter. He turned back to Dean and shrugged.

"I prefer to be healthy. It'll pay off one day. I'm going to be tall and strong while you'll be short and out of shape." Dean laughed.

"Maybe you'll be a little bit taller than me, but I'll never be short or out of shape. And you'll definitely never be strong. You're as skinny as a twig." Sam didn't respond, just rolled his eyes and started unpacking the groceries. Dean did the same. He took the hooks he had gotten and began putting them up above the couch they had taken from John's basement and hung up the pictures from their past.

Once he was done, Dean stepped back, put his hands on his hips, and looked around the apartment. The apartment that belonged to them and only them, the apartment that John couldn't bust into and beat them to the brink of death, the apartment that already felt like home. Dean smiled and went into the kitchen, glancing around to see where everything was. He grabbed the ingredients for the burgers out of the bags on the counter and turned on the stove top. Then, his process began.

~~yup let's do another because I don't know how Dean likes to cook his burgers~~

"Sammy! Come on, they're ready if you want one!" Dean said, calling through the apartment loud enough so that he could be heard within their lone apartment but not through the walls or ceiling or floor. Dean smiled as he heard Sam's door open and close, followed by Sam appearing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Thanks. You know, we could be just gotten takeout or something. You didn't have to cook on our first day here." Sam said as he grabbed a burger and sat on the couch in their small living room. Dean shrugged and joined him, turning on the tv they had put on a stand across the room from the couch.

"It's no big deal. I felt like cooking anyway. And these burgers are good." He said, biting into his dinner. Sam grinned and took a bite of his, his eyes focusing on the tv. They were quiet until they finished, and then Dean broke the silence.

"What day is it?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"It's Saturday, January 20. Why?" Dean sighed in relief and smiled a little. He stood up, taking both his and Sam's plates.

"Ok. I just wasn't sure and I wanted to be positive we didn't have school tomorrow. Also, it's four days away from my birthday." Sam laughed. And stood, following Dean into the kitchen.

"Dude, I know when your birthday is." Dean grinned and shrugged. He put their plates in the sink and turned on the water, washing them off.

"I know. I'm just happy I don't have to turn 18 and still be living in that asshat's house." Dean turned off the water and reached for a towel, drying off the plates they had used. "Plus, now we can argue in court for me to be your legal guardian without any case of John saying I kidnapped you. So no legal hitches, right?" Sam just laughed and put the plates Dean had dried away.

"What time is it?" Sam asked, walking into the living room and looking out the window. Dean shrugged and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen before pocketing it.

"8:35. You should get to bed. Moving is tiring and we still have more to do." Sam nodded and walked to his room, shutting the door behind him. Dean did the same, and collapsed on his bed. He rolled over and looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand before growing and sitting up. He got off the bed and changed into his pajamas before going back out into the living room. He checked to make sure that the door was locked and headed back to his room. He set his alarm for 7:00 a.m. and then shut his eyes as the warm embrace of sleep washed over him and he was taken to a world of dreams.


	5. Planning For The Weekend

Dean woke up on Monday, smiling when he remembered where he was. He got ready, and he and Sam left about 10 minutes later. He pulled into the school parking lot and hopped out, shutting the door completely in sync with Sam. He locked the impala before pocketing the keys, giving Baby a pat on the hood before walking into the building. He went to his locker and gathered everything he needed, the went to join Kevin, Charlie, and Cas.

"Hey guys! What's up?" He greeted. They all looked at him smiling. Charlie shrugged and Cas just furrowed his brow, cocking his head slightly.

"The ceiling is up. The sky is up. Technically, everything is up. So what exactly do you mean by what is up?" Dean just laughed, joined by Kevin and Charlie when Cas just became even more confused by their laughter.

"It's a figure of speech, Cas. How are you so innocent?" Cas just went red and looked at the ground, embarrassed. Dean clapped a hand on Cas' shoulder and Cas looked up, still red.

"Hey, buddy, don't worry about it." Dean smiled stepped away, grinning at the three people standing in front of him. Cas watched the boy with a tint smile on his face. Wow, he really is as amazing as Charlie and Kevin described him. Maybe even better than that. Dean had a similar smile on his face when he noticed Cas watching him.

"Hey, Cas? You ok?" Dean asked, focusing on the boy. Cas smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Dean. I'm ok." Dean looked away from the boy again, and again Cas' eyes lingered on Dean, scanning over him. The way his green eyes shone in the light, the way his teeth flashed when he laughed, the faint stubble on his jaw. Then, all too soon, the bell rang. They waved each other off and went their separate ways to their respective classes.

Dean sat in class, watching the projector screen as Mrs. Naomi dragged on. He mindlessly took notes, hoping the seconds would move faster so he could just get out of there. He sighed as he looked at the clock and it told him that he still had 15 minutes left of this class.

After what seemed like hours, the bell finally rang, allowing Dean to get out of that torture chamber of a classroom. He walked down the hall, heading to his next class. He sat down, looking around. Cas walked in and sat next to him, his face a little pink. Dean grinned to himself, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

"Hey Cas. What are you doing this weekend?" Dean held back laughter with a poker face as he watched Cas turn bright red. He pulled at the collar of his button up, looking extremely flustered.

"I- um- I'm free this weekend. Why?" Cas rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Dean. Dean struggled to hold back the laughter that was threatening to burst. He swallowed, forcing his face to remain emotionless.

"I was hoping we could go see a movie or something on Sunday?" Cas became even redder and froze. Dean smiled a little but quickly dropped it when Cas looked at him.

"Sure. That would be great." The bell rang, and Cas turned to face the front of the room, leaving a stunned Dean to process what exactly had just gone down. He shook his head to clear it and turned to the front of the class, a small smile on his face.

Finally, it was lunch time. Dean sat down at the usual table, and he was joined by Kevin and Charlie about 30 seconds later. Cas sat down next to Dean, his face the slightest hint of pink.

"So," Dean said, breaking the silence. "My birthday is on Wednesday. I was thinking of having a small party at my place this weekend, on Saturday. Would you guys want to come? You can invite a couple people if you want." Kevin and Charlie looked at each other grinning. Dean furrowed his brow, confused at their expressions and the mischievous glint in their eyes. They look back at Dean, and he notes the way Charlie's eyes quickly flick between him and Cas.

"Sure, we'll go. Why not, am I right? And you're sure it's ok if we bring some people?" Charlie asks. Dean nods, smiling in relief. Cas perks up, an excited smile on his face.

"So it would be alright if I brought Gabriel for Sam to hang out with?" Cas questions. Dean catches on to what he's doing and thinks for a second.

"Show me a picture of him. I want to see what he looks like before he does anything with Sammy." He responds. Cas smiled and pulls up a picture on his phone, showing it to Dean. The boy has long-ish golden hair, and eyes that match. He has slightly childlike features, and a red sucker in his hand. Dean nods, thinking about what Sam had told him about Gabriel. "Yeah, ok. Just as long as we can lock them in a closet." Cas smiled, and Charlie and Kevin sat there, confusion written all over their faces.

"Ok, I know who Gabriel is and what he looks like, and I get the general idea of who Sam is, but I have no idea what he looks like or what his sexuality is." Charlie says. Kevin nods, backing Charlie. Dean pulls up a picture of his younger brother, showing it to the other three. Cas smiled, picturing Sam and Gabe together. Kevin and Charlie nodded, suddenly understanding. Sam and Gabe would be adorable together.

"I'm honestly not really sure what Sam's sexuality is. He could be pan, maybe bi, definitely not gay though. He's had girlfriends. And not I'm-hiding-in-the-closet girlfriends. Like, girlfriends he's actually been in love with." Charlie furrowed her brow, and Cas looked at the table, slightly disappointed.

"Dang. I was hoping to find another gay guy other than Gabe and Luci. They can get so boring." Charlie laughed a little, and Kevin grinned. Dean sat there, confused, and maybe just the tiniest, slightest bit jealous. How many gay guys did Cas know? how many had their eyes on him?

"Who's Luci?" He asked. Cas looked up at him and smirked. Dean blushed, but maintained eye contact.

"Is-is that jealousy I detect, Dean?" Cas teased. Dean's blush turned darker and he looked at the table, studying the wood pattern as Cas laughed. "Don't worry. He's taken. He's also my brother." Dean blushed even harder, eyeing the wood pattern even more. He had been jealous of Cas' brother? God, he was so stupid sometimes.

"So is his actual name Luci, or is it something else?" Dean asked, calming down and looking back up at Cas. Cas shared a knowing look with Kevin and Charlie, as if they all knew something Dean didn't. Which, to be fair, they probably did.

"Oh, his actual name is Lucifer." Cas snickered at Dean's reaction. "I also have a sister and two other brothers. Anna, she's younger, Balthazar, who we call Balt, and Samandriel. Who's nickname is Alfie, for some weird reason." Dean was taken aback at the number of siblings Cas had. In total, there was 5 of them, counting Cas.

"So, there are 5 of you? I'm scared to ask how many cousins you have. I'm guessing a lot." Cas laughed, and Dean grinned. Charlie and Kevin just watched in amusement, all the while exchanging knowing looks.

"Yeah. I have quite a few cousins. I'm not even going to try and name them all. And since Luci and Michael are both 20 now, I'm pretty sure I'll have yet another brother soon." Dean laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"So let me get this straight. There's Lucifer, who's named after Satan, and he's dating a guy named Michael, who I'm guessing was named after the archangel, and you also have a brother named Balthazar, a brother named Samandriel, and a sister named Anna? Hold on, were you all seriously named after angels?" Cas grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah. Religious family. Lucky they aren't homophobic, or half my siblings would have been disowned by now, and so would I." Dean laughed and mumbled a 'lucky' under his breath. Luckily, nobody noticed. Sadly, the bell rang right about them, cutting their conversation short and leaving them all to go to their classes. Dean sighed and stood up, followed by everybody else. He walked to his locker, gathered his things, and said goodbye to his friends before he went to class to bore the rest of the day away.

Finally, the bell that ended last period rang, and Dean was able to leave. He walked out of the classroom and headed to his locker, grabbing everything he needed for home. He slammed it shut and turned around. He jumped a little when he saw Cas standing there, a little too close for comfort.

"Jesus Cas! You can't do that! It scares people!" He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to relax himself. He opened his eyes again and saw Cas, still standing a little too close. "Cas," He mumbled. "Personal space." Cas blushed and apologized, stepping back.

"So, Dean, I know you have to go get Sam, but first, I need to do something." Dean raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy in front of him. Cas looked at the ground, and then suddenly leaned forward and kissed Dean on the cheek. Dean blushed and stood there, shocked. "I, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Dean." Cas walked off, leaving Dean standing there.

Dean shook his head and smiled, walking away from his locker to go and find his little brother. Once he had, he slung his arm around his shoulder and grinned.

"Heya Sammy! So, I'm having a small party on Saturday. Cas, Charlie, and Kevin are all coming. I think they're all gonna bring at least one person, and I know Cas is bringing Gabe." Sam sighed and looked at the ground.

"I don't get a say in this, do I." Dean shook his head released his brother, messing up his hair. Sam groaned, muttering under his breath. "Jerk."

"Bitch. I just wanted to tell you in case you wanted to invite someone." Sam shrugged, and they started walking to the impala.

"The only friend I have is already coming. So I guess I don't want to invite anybody." Dean smirked to himself as they got in the impala. He turned on the radio, and was happily greeted by his favorite song, Eye of the Tiger. He grinned at Sam, and started dancing in his seat and lip-syncing along with the words. Sam just smiled and rolled his eyes. They drove off, happy that they finally didn't have to go home to John.


	6. The Party

Dean looked around the apartment on Saturday evening, making sure it was clean. There hadn't been much to pick up, but he was still a little nervous for his friends' approval. Sam walked out of his room, looking around as well. They turned to each other and smiled. Everything was ready. It was 7:45, and people were supposed to start arriving around that time.

The apartment was clean, the snacks were sitting on the counter, and the tv was on for anybody who wanted to watch something. Dean and Sam both smiled again as they heard a knock on the door. Dean opened it and saw Cas and some girl he didn't know standing there. She walked in and hugged Dean, a smile on her face.

"Sup bitches. This is my girlfriend, Dorothy." Dorothy waves and smiled, looking around the apartment. She had brown hair that was in a braid that wrapped the back of her head, a light brown suede jacket, khakis, and a white button up shirt. Dean smiled at her and closed the door as they both entered.

"Nice place. So I assume you're Dean?" Dorothy asked, looking at Dean. He nodded. She turned to Sam and smiled. "Then you must be Sam. Charlie here talks about you all the time, Dean. You must be really close friends already if she came to this. She never goes to parties." Dean smirked and lowered his voice so Sam couldn't hear him.

"Yeah. I think she didn't put up a fight because we're trying to get Cas' little brother and Sammy together." Dorothy nodded in understanding, a mischievous grin on her face. Then, Dean was forced away from the conversation as he heard a knock on the door. He opened it, and smiled when he saw Cas with three other people.

"Hey Cas! I know that one is Gabriel," he said, gesturing to the boy that was the same height as Sam. "And you must be Michael and Lucifer, but I have no idea which is which. Now, quit standing in the hallway and get in here!" He pulled Cas inside, and the three people with him followed suit. Gabe saw Sam and walked off, and they both went to Sam's room with mischievous grins on their faces.

"Should we be worried about them?" One of the older boys with Cas said. He had black hair, with a dark blue jacket and faint stubble that gave him a three-days-haven't-shaved look. Cas shook his head in response.

"No, they should be fine. The most we have to worry about is pranks. Anyway, Dean, this is Michael and Lucifer." Cas gestured to the boys beside him. Michael was the one with black hair, while Lucifer had red hair and a devilish look that fit his name. Dean smiled and waved. "Guys, this is Dean. He's new to town, so be nice. And none of your usual weird stuff that you always do around my friends." Luci rolled his eyes and bowed mockingly.

"Yes, your highness." Cas laughed. "Come on Mikey, let's go bug Charlie and Dorothy." He grabbed Michael's hand and dragged him away, leaving Dean to stare at them with curiosity and Cas to watch Dean's reaction. Dean grinned and looked at Cas before he burst out laughing.

"Dude, your family is crazy. That's awesome." Cas sighed and smiled.

"Well, just wait until you actually get to know them. It's only because Michael is here that Luci hasn't blown up the place yet." Dean laughed again and Cas joined in, until Dean was torn away by yet another knock on the door. He opened it and Kevin stood there, with a bag of chips and a smile on his face.

"Hey Dean. I didn't have anyone to bring, so I just brought these instead." Kevin stepped inside before spotting the snacks in the kitchen and placing the chips with them. Then they both joined Charlie and Cas on the couch, with Dean next to Cas and Kevin leeching on the arm. They turned on the tv, Netflix to be specific, and Charlie and Cas fighting between Sherlock and Dr. Who. Kevin then threw in the idea to watch the new show, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Dean voted for that, having never seen it before. Cas looked at Charlie and they both gave a sigh of defeat, knowing they would lose of they tried to argue. They turned it on and were soon joined by everyone but Sam and Gabe, who were still suspiciously quiet in Sam's room.

They all went quiet as they watched. Halfway through the episode, Dean paused it and went to the bathroom. When he returned, Luci and Michael were making out, Charlie was flirting with Dorothy, and Kevin and Cas just looked uncomfortable. He sat down and cleared his throat and everyone stopped what they were doing. Cas and Kevin sighed in relief, giving Dean a grateful smile. He resumed the show, and they all watched contentedly until the first episode ended. Then, they turned it off and began plotting.

"So. I know all of you now know or at least know of Sam and Gabe. What some of you may not know, however, is that we are attempting to get them together. We all know that Gabe is as straight as a rainbow slinky, and Sam is kind of on the fence. I believe we can bring out Sam's gayness and push them together." Dean said. He was answered by 6 people grinning at him, and Cas shaking his head.

"Let's do this." Luci said, breaking the silence.

~~not a time skip we're just going to visit Sabriel~~

"We should play this." Gabe said, holding up the game case. Sam grinned and took the case from Gabe.

"Novak, you are so on." The game turned on and the screen for Mario Kart popped up. Sam and Gabe did a quick rock-paper-scissors for who got to choose the road. Gabe won, and grinned mischievously at Sam as he picked rainbow road. They were about to start when Lucifer and Michael came in without warning and stared at the screen in slight horror.

"I wouldn't play that if I were you. That game destroys entire families." Michael whispered, being slightly overdramatic, as per usual. Sam shrugged and Gabe nodded.

"It's the only way to test if our bond is strong enough." Sam whispered, staring off into the distance. Lucifer shrugged and plopped down on Sam's bed, watching the boys. He was joined by Michael, and they watched as chaos ensued.

"YOU CHEATED!" Sam yelled, throwing the controller as Gabe sat there with an innocent look on his face.

"I did not. I can't help it if you suck at Mario Kart." Gabe hid a smile and Sam stalked out of the room, going to join everybody else that was sitting on the couch. They were all staring at Sam, having the heard all of what was going on. Gabe walked out a moment later and sat in the couch, watching Sam as he fumed in the bean bag chair that had magically appeared at some point during the party.

"So, project Sabriel seems to have hit a snag." Lucifer said, walking out of Sam's room. Michael followed, shaking his head in disapproval at Sam and Gabe's choice of game.

"It's not my fault Gabriel is a dirty rotten cheater!" Sam insisted, looking around the room for help.

"Cheater? Me? Why, my dear Samsquatch, would you ever make such dirty accusations?" Gabe said, putting a hand over his heart and faking shock. He put on an innocent look, which earned a glare from everybody but Cas and Lucifer, who were fighting back laughter. Sam put on his bitch face and glared at them, which shut them up.

"Sam, chill. Nobody cheated, Gabriel just has a lot of experience. There's a reason Balthazar doesn't speak to any of us anymore." Lucifer said. Sam sighed, knowing that if Satan said it there was no getting past it.

"Alright. Fine. Gabe, you didn't cheat. I'm sorry for snapping at you. Now, what is this 'project Sabriel'?" Sam asked, crossing his arms and looking around at the people in the room. Gabe walked over and plopped down on the floor next to Sam.

"Yeah, please spill. Or we'll be forced to pull out the pranks." Sam smirked and reached over to Gabe, who gave him a high five. Everybody looked around awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with the two. Gabe shrugged when nobody answered. He stood up and grabbed Sam, pulling him up too. "Alrighty then. Come on Samoose, let's go plan some stuff." And with that, the two vanished into Sam's room, leaving Dean, Cas, Kevin, Charlie, Dorothy, Lucifer, and Michael to share a knowing look.

"We should get out of here for a while. Let them set stuff up and be alone, if you catch my drift." Charlie said, standing up. Everyone followed suit, and they all piled into the impala. Dean was driving, Charlie was in shotgun with Dorothy on her lap, Michael and Lucifer were in the same position in back, and Cas and Kevin were sitting side by side, awkwardly looking at the couples around them.

"Ok. I know this great little diner just outside of town. It's called Ellen's, it's a family run place. My family is really good friends with the owner's, and I know they stay open pretty late." Charlie said, looking around. Everyone nodded, giving approval to go there. Dean handed Charlie his phone, and she typed the address into the GPS app. They started off, and were there in about 15 minutes.

"So this is it?" Dean said as he pulled into a parking spot in front of a building. It looked slightly run down, not what you would expect a diner to be. Charlie nodded and they all got out, walking in. A girl about their age looked up as they all entered. She smiled when she saw Charlie and Kevin.

"What's up guys? Who're these people?" She said, gesturing to Dean, Lucifer, Michael, and Dorothy.

"This is Dean. Dean, this is Jo, my friend. She's Ellen's daughter. Also you know Kevin and Cas, and this is Lucifer, Michael, and Dorothy." Charlie introduced them, and they all waved.

"Well then. I know you know this place is empty, so go find a seat. I'll tell mom you're here." They all sat at a large table and talked until a woman in her early 40s with brown hair appeared.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here at 10 o'clock at night?" She said. Charlie smiled at her and looked around the table.

"Hi Ellen. We're just trying to hey away from Gabe and Dean's little brother, Sam. Also we may or may not be trying to get them together." Ellen laughed, then looked at the group, assessing them.

"So I know you 4," She said, gesturing to Charlie, Kevin, Cas, and Dorothy. "But I don't know the rest of you." Dean grinned.

"I'm Dean. I'm kinda new in town. I've only been here about a week." Ellen smiled and put a hand on her hip.

"Ok, Dean, welcome to town. What about you two?"

"Well I'm Satan and this is my boyfriend Michael, heaven's holiest archangel." Ellen looked taken aback while Lucifer and Michael laughed. "Not really, not really, we're messing with you. But seriously, my name is Lucifer and this is my boyfriend Michael. I'm Cas' brother." Ellen sighed and smiled, relieved by Luci's sense of humor.

"Oh, ok. Yeah, I remember him telling me about you. The demon brother that is only happy around his angel boyfriend." Luci grinned and everybody laughed.

"Yup, that's me. The one and only Satan."

"Ok, but guys, seriously, you should order something before closing time. So what can I get you guys?" Ellen said, pulling out a notepad and pen. Everyone but Charlie looked quickly down at the menu.

~~imagine whatever you want happening here. Except for destiel. That is a no no at this point in the story~~

They drove back to Dean's apartment, wary of what Sabriel might have done. Dean open the door slowly, not surprised when a string was pulled and caused a chain reaction. First, the string was pulled, tipping a small bucket and releasing a marble as well as rainbow confetti upon the group. The marble ran along a track, which hit a domino chain that hit a faucet and turned it on, causing the rest of the pranks to unfold. By the time everything was finished, which was after about two minutes, everyone was covered in rainbow glitter, had slipped on something at least once, and, surprisingly, weren't mad.

Dean opened Sam's door to congratulate them on the magnificent prank scheme, but regretted it when he saw what Sam and Gabe were doing. (No, not that you dirty minded freaks) He walked away from the door with his hands up in victory and a huge grin on his face, as well as slight disgust. Everyone else opened in and saw them making out. Charlie let out a loud cheer and high-fived everyone. Sam and Gabe realized they had been caught, and pulled away with their faces bright red.

"Project Sabriel, success!" Lucifer yelled, wrapping an arm around his little brother. "So Gabey, what does this make you and old Samsquatch over there?" Gabe blushed even darker than he already was and shrugged, looking at Sam for help. Sam closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. Gabe had a panicked look on his face, but forced himself to relax when Sam opened his eyes and smiled.

"This makes me and Gabe official." Gabe smiled and shrugged off his older brother's arm, walking over to Sam. He pecked him on the cheek and turned to face everybody, who they just now noticed were smiling.

"I knew we could bring out the gay in you Sammy." Dean said, hugging his brother. He turned to Gabe and loomed over him, putting on his scariest older brother face. "Gabriel Novak, I swear to Chuck if you hurt him, you will wish you had never been born. I don't care if you're Cas' brother, I will hunt you down. Got it?" He said in a low voice. Gabe gulped and nodded. He relaxed when Dean backed off, leaving Gabe alone.

"I would never hurt Samoose anyway." Dean smiled, nodding in approval of the two. He walked into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of chips Kevin had brought. He turned on the radio he kept in the living room and grinned as the familiar drum beat came on. He began lip-syncing and dancing around, much to everyone's amusement.

Rising up, back on the street  
Did my time, took my chances

Tonight was going to be so much fun.

A.N.: It is important to note that Destiel does not happen in this chapter. I have a whole chapter reserved for the date, so there will be plenty of fluff. Don't worry.


	7. The Date

Dean sighed as he picked up what his friends had left lying around his apartment yesterday. He had found some odd things, varying from Cas' wallet to a long silver knife that he assumed was something of Michael's. He put everything where it belonged and glanced at the time. His eyes went wide as he realized how long he had to get ready. He and Cas had decided on 5 for the movies, and it was already 4:30. He rushed into his room and checked his outfit in the mirror. He was wearing a white t-shirt white with a blue flannel on top. He nodded once, knowing Cas wouldn't really care what he was wearing. But, then there was his hair. He hadn't fixed it yet, so it was sticking out every which way. It was messier than Cas' hair when he hadn't even bothered trying to tame it. Sex hair, Dean had heard Charlie call it. He chuckled at the memory. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, fixing it so that it looked a little bit nicer than it usually did. He checked his phone, checking the text Cas had sent him that has his address. He was picking him up, and he had 5 minutes to get there. Luckily, his house was exactly 5 minutes away. Dean bolted downstairs and started the impala, taking off and heading towards the Novak's.

When he arrived, he knocked, biting his lip nervously. A man in his early 40s answered, glancing Dean up and down. He looked tired, with dark shadows under his eyes and wrinkles around his eyes that Dean knew shouldn't be on someone his age. He smiled at Dean and stepped back, gesturing for Dean to come in. He complied, and the man, whom Dean assumed was Cas' father, smiled at him.

"Hello. You must be the Dean Winchester I've heard so much about. Nobody in this house has shut up about you since Castiel mentioned you on your second day in town. I'm Chuck, by the way." Dean smiled and put his hands on his hips.

"Yup, that's me. Do you know if Cas is ready? Oh, I also brought a couple of things people from your family left at my house last night. From my party." Chuck smiled and took the objects before nodding and turning to face the flight of stairs on his right.

"Castiel, your boyfriend is here! You need to catch that movie!" Dean blushed and Chuck winked at him as Cas rushed down the stairs, his face as red as Charlie's hair.

"Dad, he's not my boyfriend yet! Hey Dean. Let's go, I need to get away from all the stupid questions I've been asked today." He shot Chuck a pointed glare, and Dean fought back laughter. They walked out and got in the impala before Dean couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing and Cas halfheartedly glared at him before joining in.

"So that's your dad?" Dean asked when he was finally able to stop laughing. Cas nodded, grinning at his dad's behavior. "Wow, and I thought only Gabe and Satan were the roots of the crazy. Now I know it's from daddy dearest himself." They drove the rest of the way, laughing about their families and childhood memories. Once they arrived, they walked into the theater and got tickets to see some cheesy romance movie called The Space Between Us. Dean had wanted to see The Lego Batman Movie, but Cas was so adorable talking about the trailer for The Space Between Us that Dean ended up giving in.

They sat down after getting popcorn (extra butter as per Dean's request because Cas got to choose the movie). Apparently they had gotten there just in time, because as they were turning off their phones, the lights went down and the soft glow from the screen illuminated the room.

~~honestly I've never seen this movie so don't worry about spoilers~~

~~also they did make out during the movie~~

They walked out of the theater hand in hand, laughing about how cheesy the movie was. Cas would never admit it to anyone, but he may or may not have shed one or two tears towards the end of it. Dean thought the entire plot was over dramatic and most of the comedy was overused.

"So, Dean, is the date over or do you happen to have a surprise up your sleeve? Because I have the feeling you have something else planned." Cas prodded. Dean grinned and shrugged, leading them back to the impala.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He replied, getting in. Cas groaned in complaint, but he had a smile on his face all the same. Dean started the impala and drove off, heading to their next stop on the date.

About 10 minutes later, Dean pulled into a parking lot by a park. They got out and Dean led Cas to a bench by a grove of trees. Cas went to sit down, but Dean grabbed his hand and smiled, looking into his eyes.

"Run." He whispered. Cas laughed and followed him through the trees. Dean stopped then in the middle of nowhere and picked Cas up bridal style, telling him to close his eyes. The boy complied and Dean smiled to himself, excited at the mere touch of Castiel and that he was showing him somewhere that was already so special to him.

When they got there, Dean gently placed Cas back on his feet and told him to open his eyes. He did, and was frozen in place by what he saw. He let out a little gasp and turned to face Dean, who had a giant smile on his face.

The place Dean had taken him was a small clearing among the trees, place so remote only Dean had ever really found it. There was an array of wildflowers littering the ground, ranging from daisies to brown eyed Susan's to daffodils. There was a small pond, and the stream that led into it created a small and beautiful waterfall.

"Dean, it's so pretty here. How did you find this place?" Dean shrugged.

"A few nights ago I needed to get away to think and I ended up here. It reminded me of the feeling of home that I haven't felt in a long time. I wanted to show it to you." Cas looked at Dean, speechless. How could someone be so kind after what John had done? That could snap a person. And yet, here Dean was, smiling at Cas as if nothing had ever happened. As if he had never been kicked out of his house by his own father. As if he had never fought with himself internally over who he was. "Cas? Are you ok?"

Castiel was jolted back into reality by Dean's words. He smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking. I do that sometimes. I'll start thinking and then I'll just zone out. It freaks people out sometimes." Dean chuckled. He gestured for Castiel to follow him, then began heading out of the clearing. Curious, Cas followed him.

Dean walked for about two minutes before stopping ion front of a tall tree. He grabbed one of the low branches and used it to hoist himself up. Cas followed him, being cautious. When he was 7, he had fallen out of a tree and broken his arm. He didn't particularly care to repeat the experience, especially not with Dean there. When dean reached the point where the branches were just thick enough to hold him, he began to break the skinny branches that had leaves on them. He had cleared a window in front of him. Cas pulled himself up on the branch next to Dean and looked at the view Dean had cleared.

The sky was a dark orange, highlighting the even darker sun. The clouds were purple, some even with tinges of pink. Upon seeing this, Castiel smiled, staring at the scenery with wonder plastered on his face. Dean looked over at the boy beside him, smiling to himself as he realized just how beautiful the fading light made him. His eyes were sparkling, the bright blue being brought out by the light in the sky. His hair had been messed up by all the running and climbing, and Dean laughed quietly when he saw a twig sticking out of it. Cas turned to face Dean, who blushed furiously at being caught staring.

"Dean, this place is gorgeous. How have you been in town for like 2 weeks and already found so many places I haven't found after living here my entire life?" Dean thought about it for a moment, a small smile on his face. He shrugged and looked at the setting sun, knowing Cas was staring at him.

"I guess I just need to get away more often than most people. More often than not that takes me to the woods. I don't know, I guess I just like the quiet." He concluded. Cas looked away from Dean, watching the sky shift its coloring as the golden sun sunk below the horizon.

"Dean," Cas whispered, not looking away from the sunset. "I know your father is a complete douchewad, but what happened top your mother? I saw the picture of her in your apartment. Where is she?" Dean clenched his jaw at the subject being brought up. He looked away from the sky, away from Cas, away from it all. He stared at the leaves next to him, fighting back tears.

"I- I can't talk about that. Not yet. I'm sorry." A single tear slipped out, rolling down his cheek and leaving a glistening trail. He wiped it away and turned back to the sun when he felt a hand on his back. 

"It's ok Dean. I apologize for bringing it up. I was just overly curious." Cas whispered. Dean nodded, his face as emotionless and unmoving as stone. Cas looked down at the ground about 15 feet below them, guilt coursing through his vanes. Dean saw this in the corner of his eye. Without a second thought, he reached over and grabbed Cas' face and turning it before crashing his lips into his. 

Cas' eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he melted into the kiss, lacing his fingers in Dean's hair. He noted that Dean tasted like popcorn, a little bit of salt left on his soft pink lips from the movie theater. 

After a few seconds that they both wished would've lasted so much longer, Dean pulled his lips away from Castiel's, leaving their foreheads resting together. They stared into each other's eyes, not noticing that the sun had gone down and the dark was settling in. God, I am so glad we moved here. Dean thought, a smile growing on his face.

Cas jumped back suddenly when his phone rang, his hand clutching Dean's right shoulder in an attempt to remain on the tree branch. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall, he let go and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He winced when he saw who was calling. He clicked a button to answer and held the device up to his ear, a small look of fear lingering in his eyes. 

"Hello Mom." He said, a small sigh detectable in his voice. "I apologize. I didn't realize it was so late." Silence. Then, Cas flinched and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I thought you were ok with it. Dad said you were." Tears sprung to his eyes, but he blinked them back before they could escape. "Yes ma'am. I'll be home right away." He hung up and stared at the ground, the tears reappearing and this time escaping.

"Cas, are you-"

"I need to go home Dean. Please take me home."

"Cas-"

"Please, Dean. I've already caused enough trouble in my household." He looked up, the tears running down his cheeks becoming noticeable to Dean. Without another word, Dean began to descend to the ground below, with Cas silently following a few feet above. When their feet hit solid dirt, Dean turned on a flashlight. They began walking in silence. But when Dean tried to take Cas' hand to lead him through the dark forest, he jerked away and put his hands in his pockets so Dean couldn't reach him.

When they got back to the impala, Dean didn't unlock the doors when Cas attempted to get in. Instead he leaned on the roof of the car, staring at the boy across from him. 

"We aren't getting in this car until you tell me what happened on the phone between you and your mom."

"Dean, please-"

"No, Cas. She hurt you somehow. She hurt you enough to make you cry. Now tell me what the hell that son of a bitch said so I know whether or not I'll be endangering you by taking you back to your house." Dean crossed his arms and straightened up, showing that he wasn't going to let this slide. Cas sighed, reading Dean's body language and knowing there was no chance of him winning this. 

"First of all, Dean, that is my mother you're speaking of. Please respect her." This earned a glare from Dean, but Cas ignored it and continued. "Second, I would really like to discuss this in the car so it's private." Dean sighed and unlocked the car, allowing them both to get in. 

"Dean, I need you to promise not to utter a word of what I am about to tell you to anyone. Not Charlie, not Kevin, not even Sam." Dean nodded, gathering just how serious the situation was.

"Thank you."

~~

And now because I really need to get this chapter out, I'm going to end it there. I promise I will tell you what happened between Cas and his mother, who's identity remains unbeknownst to you all for now.

*whispers* Please don't hate me if you see this as a cliffhanger. Also, I'm sorry it's shorter than usual. But hey, at least you got a chapter.


	8. Castiel's Mother

((Please note, I couldn't think of anymore female angels to use as Cas' mom, so I used Amara instead. She is not Chuck's sister in this au. I repeat, SHE IS NOT CHUCK'S SISTER IN THIS AU. Thank you))

"Thank you." Cas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, composing himself before continuing. He opened his eyes and stared out of the windshield, avoiding eye contact with Dean.

"Dean, there is a lot you don't know about me. And there is a lot I don't know about you. And I'm ok with that. But what I am about to tell you reveals a lot about not only me, but my family as well. Some of these things are known only to my family, and haven't been told to anybody before. Do you understand the great importance of keeping this secret?" Dean nodded once more, whispering a quiet 'yes'.

"When I was young, about the age of 9, my brother, Balthazar, the one that doesn't speak to us anymore, came out as gay. My mom used to be really homophobic, so she kicked him out. Then she kinda changed for the better, so not much happened when Luci came out as pan and brought Michael home. She was even better when Gabriel and I came out simultaneously about 2 years ago on New Year's. So she's changed. A lot, and always for the better. I think that's because of dad, and how relaxed he is about that kind of thing.

"Well, aside from all that, she's pretty strict about one thing in particular. Dating. We aren't allowed to date until we're 18, hence why it wasn't a big deal when Lucifer brought Michael home at 19. He's 20 now, almost 21. Mom keeps pushing him to move out already, but I don't think that'll happen until he and Michael get engaged. But anyway, I got off topic. My mom was out of town this week, but she got home while we were at the movie. Since I'm only 17, I'm technically not allowed to be dating. But my dad said that she would be ok with it this time. Surprise surprise, she wasn't. I don't know why I expected anything else." He finished. His voice had turned to something close to a whisper at the end, and Dean could tell he was fighting back tears. He reached over and grabbed Cas' hands. Cas looked at him, and Dean gave him a faint smile.

"Hey. Don't cry. It'll be ok. I'll take you home, and I'll try to talk some sense into your mom. Ok?" Cas let out a little laugh, a tear escaping and rolling silently down his cheek. Dean leaned over and wiped it away with his thumb, giving him a gentle kiss before pulling away, starting the impala, and driving down the road towards Cas' house.

The ride there was silent, except for the quiet music coming from the speakers. No words were spoken between the two, no attempt to understand the others thoughts made. Dean was too busy thinking of an argument that would sway Mrs. Novak's position on dating. Cas was too busy worrying about how he would be punished, or if he would be allowed to see Dean outside of school again.

Upon their arrival to the Novak residence, they stepped out of the impala and walked up to the door. Cas entered first, with Dean trailing close behind. Both Chuck and Mrs. Novak were sitting on the couch in the living room. Gabriel and Lucifer were there as well, probably plotting some prank on some innocent victim. When the door shut, Gabe and Luci got up and left the room as if on a cue. Mrs. Novak, a stern looking woman with curled red hair and a black dress that seemed out of place in the casual home, looked at the boys and gestured for them to sit down. They complied, and watched as she straightened her back and folded her hands in her lap.

"Castiel, we both know that you know the rules under this roof. Most of them are small, and I am ok with it when they are bent or broken. However, there is one rule that I do not wish to have broken to any degree, and that is my rule on dating. You know full well that dating before 18 is not permitted in this household. So please, explain to me why you thought it would be ok today." She looked at them both, an eyebrow arched in expectancy.

"Mrs. Novak, I-" Dean began. Cas gave him a look that made him shut up on the spot.

"Mother, I apologize for breaking your rule. It was unacceptable behavior and I shouldn't have expected you to be ok with it." Mrs. Novak gave a short, curt nod, clearly approving of her son's words. Cas stared at the floor and fiddled with his thumbs, clearly expecting more from his mother. Satisfied with Cas' apology, she turned to Dean, a coldness in her eyes that hadn't been there moments before.

"And who might you be, and why did you think it appropriate to go on a date with my son before he was allowed to?" She glared him down, clearly attempting to strike fear in him. However, Dean took no notice, used to cold glares and fear tactics after everything he had been through. He put his arm around Cas' shoulders, not removing them despite the fact that Mrs. Novak was glaring daggers at him now. Both Cas and Chuck were giving him warning looks, but he ignored them and looked straight into Mrs. Novak's eyes.

"Mrs. Novak, I'm Dean Winchester. I'm relatively new to this town. I've only been here about two weeks. On my second day, I met your son and I immediately knew I had to make him mine. But I can't do that if I can't take him on dates. After all, have you ever heard of falling in love before the first date? And, surely, Mrs. Novak, you must know this rule is a little ridiculous. I mean, you must have gone on a few dates before 18 yourself." Dean said. He didn't look away from Mrs. Novak's murderous gaze when he was speaking, nor did he remove his arm from it's position on Cas' shoulders. She sighed softly, the edge in her eyes fading. She looked first at the floor, then at her husband, who merely smiled gently and shrugged. You could practically see the silent conversation they were having. Finally, Mrs. Novak looked back at the boys with a small smile on her face, the coldness in her eyes replaced by a warm understanding that left Dean feeling victorious.

"Castiel, Dean, I apologize for ending your date so early. It was wrong of me to do so. Castiel, you should notify Gabriel that the dating rule has been changed. You are now allowed to date at 15. This means everyone in the household is allowed to go on dates with whomever they please, so long as nothing, well, illegal happens. However, you and Gabriel now have a curfew of 10:30 sharp. Dean, seeing as it is now 10:29, I believe you should head home before your parents begin to get worried." And with that, she stood up and left the room with a smile on her face. Chuck stood and followed, but not before winking at the boys with a sly smile on his face. Once they were alone, Cas looked at Dean with the brightest smile that Dean had ever seen on his face. It was too adorable to resist, so Dean pulled him into a kiss. They lingered there for a few moments, Cas smiling into the kiss. Finally, they pulled away and Dean sighed.

"I should probably go. Sammy is home alone and I still have to finish cleaning my apartment after yesterday." Cas laughed lightly and nodded. They both stood, and Dean gave Cas one last kiss before heading out the door. Once he was inside the impala, he let himself smile and relax. He had a chance. He was a possibility. For the first time, he could date who he wanted and not have to keep it secret. And, even better, the guys parents liked him. He turned on his favorite music, cranked it up, and drove back towards his apartment.

Meanwhile, back at the Novak household, things were far from settling down for the night. ((Meaning that I need something else to write here because this chapter is short))

"Mom! This isn't fair! I wasn't allowed to date before 18! Why should they be?!" Lucifer's voice, which was loud and slightly annoyed, rang through the house. He was in the living room, giving his mother a look that could kill. Gabe and Cas lingered in the doorway, wanting to witness what was about to go down. Lucifer lived up to his name when he was angry. And right now, he was pissed.

"Lucifer Novak, I will not tolerate you speaking to me that way. A rule once set can be changed at any point. Also, you had no interest in dating until you met Michael. Castiel, however, has met a boy that is very kind and presented a very good case on my dating policies. And seeing as your boyfriend told me everything about the party over the phone, apparently Gabriel has met a respectable boy as well." Cas smirked at that, and Gabe let out a small giggle. They already knew things about the Winchester brothers that no one else in their family would ever hear unless they ended up as part of the family.

"Chuck! Help me out here!" Lucifer shouted when he saw his dad hovering in the doorway opposite Cas and Gabriel. Chuck immediately went wide-eyed and pale, shaking his head furiously. Even he knew better than to get to his wife's bad side. At that moment, the door flew open and in stepped a man that hadn't crossed that threshold in almost 9 years.

"Lucifer! How dare you! Trying to turn our parents against each other on a matter as simple as a change in rules!" Silence fell over the household, and everyone expect for Gabe was either too stunned to move or had tears in their eyes. For most, it was a mixture of both. "What," the man said, "I don't even get a welcome back?"

"Balthazar?" Chuck whispered, not daring to blink for fear his son might disappear. A grin spread across the man's face, looking around at the shock on his family's faces.

"The one and only! I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. It just takes a while to get over rejection and hatred from your own mother. But, Luci, your boyfriend- he's rather attractive by the way, if you don't marry him I will- reached out to me talking about how much she's changed. So, I thought I'd stop b-" He was cut off by a sudden hug from everyone in the family, except for Anna, who had been to young to remember Balthazar. She had come downstairs to see what was going on, and was greeted by a crying family hugging someone she hadn't met before.

"I'm s-so-sorry." Mrs. Novak sobbed into Balthazar's shoulder, leaving everyone feeling incredibly awkward. Everyone backed off to let the two make up, and Anna walked into the room to meet the stranger. After a little while, Mrs. Novak backed away from her son, releasing the awkwardness in the room.

"Sooo, uh, anyone gonna tell me who the hell this is?" Anna questioned, finally piping up from her corner in the back of the room. Everyone grinned.

"Anna, this is your brother. Anna, meet Balthazar Novak." Anna was shocked into silence, and the smile on Balthazar's face fell.

"Actually, mom, it's Balthazar Novak-Taylor. Has been for about 3 years. Just a second. I'll be right back." He walked out the door, leaving everyone as shocked as Anna.

"I HAVE ANOTHER BROTHER!!??" Anna yelled, breaking the silence that had crept into the room. Everyone but Gabriel jumped at the sound of her voice, and Lucifer grinned. 

"Apparently, you have 2 other brothers, sis. Balthazar is gay, and somehow married." Anna face palmed, sighing deeply as she shook her head at the floor. This aroused a chorus of giggles from everyone.

"Am I the only straight one in this house?" Anna asked. Mrs. Novak gave her her best bitch face, and Chuck laughed. Anna shrugged, a semi-apologetic look on her face. 

"Honey, no, your mom is straight. I'm bi. Your mom just didn't know that until after she kicked Balthazar out. She used to have really backwards views about that kind of stuff. You were just too young to remember it." Anna nodded as Chuck finished speaking, and everyone silently agreed. Just then, Balthazar walked in, holding a guy's hand. The guy smiled, awkwardly waving to everyone.

"Mom, this is my husband, Jack Novak-Taylor. Jack, this is my mom, my dad, my brothers, Lucifer, Castiel, and Gabriel, and the very confused one is my sister, Anna." Balthazar said, gesturing to everyone in turn as he introduced them. Everyone smiled, happy to have another member of the family. Before he could even open his mouth to greet everyone, he was attacked with hugs from everyone in the house. 

"Yes, another gay guy other than Luci and Michael!"

"Castiel! He just met us! Leave him alone."

"Says the mom who practically launched herself at him."

"Lucifer, shut up."

"Sorry dad."

And finally, "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks Mrs. Novak."

"Please, call me Amara."


	9. Everything Is Getting Better

Dean was at his locker, talking to Charlie and Kevin about how the rest of their weekends had gone. Suddenly Cas ran up to the group, a smile on his face that matched the one he had when Dean kissed him for the first time.

"Guys! Guys! Guys! You will never guess what happened yesterday!" Dean tried to hide the small smile blossoming on his face. He failed and let it be, and raised an eyebrow at the boy who was looking around at the group.

"You went on a date with Dean?" Charlie asked. Cas seemed a little caught off guard by the question, and he blinked at Charlie. 

"Well, yes, but that's not what I mean." At these little words, everyone became far more confused than they originally were.

"Cas, don't just leave us hanging here. What happened?" Dean asked, slinging his arm around the boys shoulders. 

"Balthazar came home." He looked at the floor, the smile on his face growing twice as large. The kid looked as though if he got any happier his face would split open. A shocked silence fell over the group. 

"Your brother Balthazar? The one your mom kicked out all those years ago?" Kevin asked. Cas nodded. He looked up at his friends, his eyes swimming with tears of joy. Charlie squealed, and ran up to Cas. She wrapped him up in a bone-crushing hug, and she was soon followed by the two boys. They fell to the floor, Cas crying and everyone hanging onto each other for dear life. they were attracting stares, but none of them cared at that point. Eventually, they all stood up, smiles on all of their faces. Dean kept his arm around Cas, looking down at him. He pressed a soft kiss to the boy's hairline, and wiped the tears from his face.

"Cas, that's awesome! Give us the details." They sat down on the floor, ignoring everyone else.

"Well, when Dean dropped me off at home last night, Lucifer got mad because mom changed the dating rule. So when mom wouldn't change the rule back, Lucifer tried to get dad to join his side. Then we heard a voice, and we all turned around. And there he was, standing there with the stupidest smile on his face. After he and mom made up, he went outside and brought in his husband. Turns out he had gotten married about 3 years ago. Micheal is the one who reached out to him. Don't know how he found a way to contact him, but everyone is really glad he did. Except for Anna. I think she wanted to find out she had a long lost sister, not a long lost brother. I think she's fed up with boys, to be honest." Everyone laughed. Then, to their dismay, their conversation was cut short by the bell. They sighed, stood up, and headed towards their respective classes.

~And now let's skip to lunch because I really don't feel like writing about classes right now.~

They sat at the usual table, Cas next to Dean and Charlie next to Kevin. Nobody bugged them. Nobody ever bugged them. Except for today. 

They were talking. much like usual, when a girl with brown hair walked over to them and sat next to Dean. She whipped her hair over her shoulder and flashed a flirty smile at Dean. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, can I help you?" Cas, Charlie, and Kevin all shared knowing looks, except for the fact that Cas's had a little bit more venom in it.

"I'm Lisa. You know, I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new or something? I mean, you have to be new to be hanging out with these losers." And that's when everything went to hell. Dean put his arm around Cas's shoulder and shot his friends a look. Lisa went pale. Dean stood up and looked down at her. 

"Ok. Lisa. You clearly don't know me. Sure, I might be new, but these are my friends. And this is my boyfriend. So, if you could kindly fuck off and leave us alone, I'll forgive you in the form of not whooping your ass. Understand me?" Lisa rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same. She got up and started to walk away. Everything would've gone fine, if it weren't for the *unfortunate* fact that Dean heard her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "faggots". Dean walked up to her, tapped her shoulder, and waited for her to turn around. Once she did, he punched her square in the jaw, sending her stumbling backwards. Cas rushed up to Dean grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at him. 

"Dean. She isn't worth it. She's nothing but a whore and a bitch. Just let her go." Dean sighed, not wanting to let her go and not have taught her not to mess with him. but the pleading look Cas had in his eyes made him rethink his actions, and he begrudgingly let her go. She got up, sent him a glare, and stalked off to join her friends. Once Dean sat back down, the three people sitting with him began applauding. Then, everyone who had witnessed the events that unfolded joined in. Soon, everyone but Lisa and her little friends were clapping.

Dean stepped up onto the table, did a theatrical bow, and then back-flipped off of it like a boss because why not. He laughed, and everyone stopped clapping. Once he was no longer the center of attention, he leaned over a pressed his lips against Castiel's, smiling into the kiss when Charlie wolf-whistled and Kevin began applauding again. 

They all sat down again, resuming their usual activities. Dean kept an arm slung around Cas's shoulder. Everything was looking up. Well, everything except for the fact that Dean couldn't shake the feeling that that Lisa chick was plotting something.

"Hey, Cas, do you wanna come over and watch a movie after school?" Dean said. Cas looked up at him and smiled, nodding to show his response. Charlie and Kevin exchanged a smile, rolling their eyes at each other. Man, those two were cute together, but if they had to put up with too much lovey-dovey crap, they would find a way to break those two up. Dean looked up, facing the two people across from him. "Would you guys care to join us? I promise if you do won't be making out the whole time." Charlie chuckled.

"Nah, I think we'll leave you two alone." Suddenly, an idea pooped into Dean's head. 

"Ya know Cas, maybe you should bring Gabriel over so he can 'hang out' with Sam." Dean made sure to put air quotes around hang out. Cas smirked.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea. If we leave the room for more than 5 minutes we'll get pranked into oblivion." They both laughed.

"Nah. They'll be way too busy, if you know what I mean." This sparked laughter from everyone, not just Cas. Just as the laughter died down, the bell rang. They parted ways and headed to their classes. Thank god for lunch break.

~Another time skip because I still don't feel like writing about classes~

Dean walked out of school with Cas's hand in his, and sabriel following them close behind. They weren't as open with their relationship as Cas and Dean were, but you could still tell they were more than just friends. Especially since friends don't stand that close to each other. Cas sent a quick text to his mother, telling him where he and Gabriel would be. Then, they all got into the impala, Sam sitting in back without complaint for the first time in years. 

The ride to Dean's apartment was filled with jokes, loud music, and the discovery that Dean actually had an amazing singing voice. When they arrived, Sam and Gabe immediately went into Sam's room. 

"Be safe!" Dean shouted as they shut the door. A loud groan of complaint was heard, and Cas and Dean collapsed in laughter. Dena switched to Netflix, and they spent the next 15 minutes searching for a movie and a comfortable way to sit. They finally decided on Moana, at Cas's persistence and refusal to let Dean go without seeing that amazing film.

"Dean, shut up, this movie is a work of art and you need to see it."

"But Cas, It's a friggin kids movie."

"No, Dean, it's a masterpiece. Now shut up and turn it up."

~I swear to chuck if I get any crap for loving this movie, just shut up and skip this part of the chapter.~

Dean struggled to pay any attention to movie, because damn Cas was cute when he got into something. He could see him fighting not to sing along, especially when it got to the part where the dad was telling Moana to stay on the island. Eventually he broke, and Dean just couldn't resist. He grabbed Cas's face, and pulled him in for a kiss. When he pulled away, he rested their foreheads together.

"What was that about?"

"You're too damn cute when you're passionate about something."

"This movie is a work of art, Dean! Plus most of it was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and that man is brilliant."

"Eh, This music ok. I've definitely heard better."

"Wait, Dean, are you jealous?" Dean scoffed and looked away, faking being indifferent to the question.

"What? No, I just don't think he's that great." This made Cas laugh, and he fell onto his back on the couch.

"You are so jealous! This is so adorable!"

"Cas, I'm not jealous! And I am definitely not adorable."

"Dean, it's ok. You don't have to be jealous. He's straight, famous, and married. I just like his music, especially the musical Hamilton." 

"Whatever. Let's just get back to the movie."

After, Cas's phone started ringing. He picked it up, and a smile blossomed on his face that matched the one this morning. When he hung up, he turned to Dean and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Come on. Go brush your hair. I'll get sabriel." Dean got up, confusion written all over his face.

"Wait, Cas, what's going on?" Cas grinned at him.

"Mom invited you guys over for dinner. And Balthazar and his husband are still home. So, you and Sam are going to meet my family. And this time, it will be all of them." Dean smiled, and went to go clean up his appearance as much as possible without going overboard. Cas went to go get sabriel, ignoring the fact that they were making out on Sam's bed. "Guys, come on. We're going to our house. Mom invited the Winchester's over for dinner. And Balthazar and his husband are home. Sam, you're going to meet your boyfriend's family."

About 10 minutes later, they were back in the impala, heading to the Novak house. Dean kept fidgeting with his thumbs on the wheel, tapping them to the beat of the music to release some of the anxiety he was obviously feeling. Cas placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, drawing his attention.

"Dean, it's ok. You've already met most of them. Everyone is going to be there anyway. Micheal, Jack, that's Balthazar's husband, everyone. It isn't a big deal." Dean took a deep breath and chuckled lightly. 

"Actually, Cas, it kind of is. I've never met anyone else's family before. I've never dated anyone long enough for that to happen." Cas raised his eyebrows, a little shocked at that. But before he could say anything, they pulled up into the driveway. They all got out of the car, Dean visibly more nervous than Sam. Cas quickly kissed Dena, hoping to help him relax a bit.

"It'll be ok, Dean. I'm sure everyone will love you." Dean took a deep breath, and they all headed inside. 

I hope this goes ok.


	10. Officially Meeting The Family

They walked inside, and Dean took in the familiarity of the living room.   
Except this time, the air of tension that was in the room last time wasn't there. Instead, the atmosphere felt happy and comfortable. Dean looked at the couch and saw two strangers sitting there, chatting happily with Luci and Micheal. Cas cleared his throat, drawing attention to the four of them standing in the doorway. Mrs. Novak peeked her head out of the kitchen, a smile on her face. 

"Hi boys! Dean, I remember you, and this handsome young man here must be Sam. Gabriel has told me all about you. I'm his mom." She quickly shook his hand before stepping back and turning to the men sitting on the couch. They stood up and walked over to them. The blonde one began to speak, a smile on his face.

"Hi. I'm Balthazar, and this is my husband, Jack. It's nice to meet you." Dean reached out his hand and shook each of theirs in turn, and Sam did the same.

"I'm Dean, and this is my little brother Sammy. It's nice to meet you. Cas has told me about you two, well as much as he's learned in the few hours he's seen you." This brought laughter from the group. Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a short red-haired girl, who looked to be about 9.

"Well, as content as you all seem to be chatting here, Dad said dinner is ready. So come on." They all walked into the dining room, Dean getting a little more nervous. Even though this was his first time meeting somebody's family, he knew what was coming next. The questions, the silent judging, and the forming of an official opinion of him. They sat down, each person sitting next to their S.O., except for Anna, because she was only 9. They quickly got their food, and then it began. 

"So, Winchesters, how long have you been in town?" Balthazar asked. Dean swallowed the food in his mouth to reply.

"We've only been here about 2, maybe 3 weeks. We moved from the small town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota." He watched nervously as Balthazar began to form an opinion on him from one meager question. He felt Cas eyeing him, taking note of how tense he was. then, Dean felt Cas's hand in his. Cas squeezed his hand reassuringly, and the nerves Dean felt seemed to dissipate. 

"What do your parents do?" Mrs. Novak asked, looking at Dean with interest. He felt Cas squeeze his hand, and he sighed. He looked at Sam, who gave him a small nod. 

"Um, I not sure what John does, and my mom died when I was six." The atmosphere quickly became awkward, and Mrs. Novak quietly apologized. 

"Wait, why don't you know what your dad does?" Jack asked. Dean sighed again and motioned for Sam to answer this one. 

"He kicked us out about five days after we got here. He couldn't accept that Dean was bisexual." Dean stared at his food, suddenly not hungry. He clenched his jaw, fighting back the tears that stung his eyes. Balthazar spoke up, sympathy and understanding in his voice.

"Hey, Dean, why don't you come outside with me real quick. I want to talk to you. And it's better to hear this in private." Dean nodded, let go of Cas's hand, and followed Balthazar out onto the front porch.

"Dean, look at me." He did. "I know it's tough dealing with this. Believe me. I've been exactly where you are right now. Just know that his opinion isn't worth any of your time if he doesn't love you for who you are. Got it?" Dean nodded, the tears he was fighting spilling over. 

"Yeah, I know. It's just hard, ya know? John was my father. He and Sammy were all I had for so long." Balthazar sighed, looking down at the porch.

"I understand. I do. But from the things I've picked up from your behavior in the little time I've heard about you and met you, It's good you got out of that home. Even if it was due to less than ideal circumstances. Now, let's go back inside. Your boyfriend might be getting worried and we still have to interrogate your little brother." Dean laughed. The tears had stopped without him realizing it. they stood and walked back inside. They heard laughter coming from the dining room and went to take back their seats.

When he sat back down, Cas's hand immediately slipped into his, and a smile grew on his face. Suddenly, everything was going to be ok. 

A.N.: This chapter is really short, and I'm sorry for that, but I felt this was a good place to end it. Anyway, let me know what you guys think of Balthazar and Jack. And if you have any ideas for where this story should go, feel free to shoot me some suggestions! Thanks for reading!


	11. And That's When It All Went South

It was smooth sailing for a while after that. The Novak family was getting along better than ever, and the Winchester's were learning to adjust to life on their own. Sam was keeping the apartment as tidy as possible, and Dean had picked up a few jobs to pay for rent. Aside from working at the auto repair shop, he now also waited tables at Ellen's. Life couldn't have been better for the two families. 

Back at school, Dean walked up to his friends, who were having a deep an slightly aggressive conversation about what Doctor was best. 

"How can you not love David Tennant?! He is very clearly best Doctor of all time! He's funny, snarky, and brings to light a new side of the Doctor that was never seen before he took charge! Besides, at least he has fashion sense!" Cas said, waving his arms around to add punctuation to what he was saying. Charlie shook her head in response, rolling her eyes and scoffing at Cas's supposed ignorance.

"Castiel, you poor, misguided soul. Clearly you were swept into the crowd, unable to think for yourself. Tennant is not the best Doctor, not even close. You see, Eccleston very obviously outranks every other incarnation of the Doctor we've seen to date. He was energetic, and made the Doctor seem so human. He fell in love with Rose, and showed some darker sides of the Doctor as well! Sorry, but if you don't love Eccleston, you're wrong." To emphasize her point, Charlie had gone a little too far into fangirling and now looked slightly like a deranged maniac. And I know she does this, because I've most definitely done it before, and her and I are practically the same person. Anyway, somewhere amidst the commotion between the two, Dean had snuck up behind Cas. He draped his arm over Cas's shoulders and greeted him with a quick kiss.

"Sorry Charlie, but I have to agree with my boyfriend. Tennant is the best Doctor, hands down. And I'm not just saying that because I'm obligated to agree with whatever he says." Cas rolled his eyes at Dean's statement, but withheld comment, because at least Dean had agreed with him. 

"Actually-" Kevin attempted to chime in, but was cut off by the warning bell, ending the conversation. 

~time skip because I have no interest in writing about classes today~

The bell rang, setting Cas free from the horror that was precalc class. He went to his locker, thinking of nothing in particular. It was the end of the day, and Cas couldn't wait to get home. He quickly grabbed the things he needed to take home, and shut his locker. He was about to walk away to find Gabriel so they could go home, when suddenly he shoved against his locker. Hard.

He winced as the back of his head collided with locker. Pain shot through him, but he fought to ignore it. He open his eyes to see the person he hated most in the world standing in front of him. Holding him to his locker was none other than Azazel Patterson. 

"Hey faggot." Azazel spit out the word like venom. Cas sighed and prepared himself for shit he hadn't endured in a while. 

"Azazel. What a pleasure to see you again." Cas smirked, knowing that he could really get under Azazel's skin after all these years. "Oh, sorry, did I say pleasure? I meant how atrocious to see you again." Azazel growled and pushed Cas against his locker harder than he was already holding him there. 

"I don't appreciate your tone. And I will not be talked down to by some cocksucker like you. Now listen up, or I'll make your life a living hell again." Cas gulped, flashing back to all the years where he was getting beaten, and the only friends he had were Charlie and Kevin. "You are not allowed to see Dean Winchester again. Dump him, and cut him out of your life. If you don't, I'll know. I have eyes all over the school. You have one week." Cas nodded, panic dashing through his mind. Satisfied, Azazel let Cas go and walked away. 

Cas stood there for a second, then collected himself. He walked away, only one thought on his mind. How am I going to get out of this one? He found Gabriel, and only told him where they were going when they were halfway there. 

About 20 minutes after they left school, they arrived at the Winchester's apartment. Cas knocked, his hand shaking. Dean opened the door, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Cas there. As soon as Cas saw Dean, all the color drained from his face and tears filled his eyes. Gabriel brushed past them to see Sammy, and so they could hear what was going on without being yelled at.

"Cas? Babe? What's wrong?" Cas stepped into the apartment, and collapsed into Dean's arms. "Woah! Cas, tell me what's wrong." Dean led him over to the couch, and Cas allowed himself to be sat down and wrapped in a blanket. Dean sat next to him and threw his arm around Cas's shoulders. "Babe, tell me what's wrong. We can fix this. Whatever this is." 

Tears started falling down Cas's cheeks, not sure even Dean could fix this problem. Suddenly, to his surprise, one word slipped out of hi mouth. "Azazel." Dean's brow furrowed in confusion. In Sam's room, Gabe went pale. He had been listening, and knew exactly what that meant. He stood up and walked into the living room, determination in his every movement. 

"What did that asshole do." Gabe growled, his fists clenched. Cas looked at his younger brother. Gabriel knew exactly who Azazel was, and what he had done to Cas in the past. He quickly wiped the tears from his face, and looked at the two people in his life that cared the most about him. He sighed, knowing there was no way he could go through with Azazel's demands.

"He said I had to break up with Dean, or he would start again." He looked directly at Gabe as he said this. Gabe immediately looked shocked, and sat down, a plan already formulating in his head. Beside Cas, Dean was still computing what he had just heard. Suddenly, he stood up, pulled out his phone, and began making phone calls. He looked at Cas, seeing the unspoken question in his eyes.

"If we're going to get through this, we're gonna need backup." He turned away, and began speaking. "Hey Charlie, get over here as quick as possible. And bring as much backup as you think we'll need. We've got a serious problem." And with that, he hung up. There was something in his eyes. Cas had never seen it before, and it was both arousing and a little scary.

About 10 minutes later, Charlie burst through the door with Kevin, Lucifer, Micheal, and Dorothy in tow. She looked determined, and the rest of the party just looked scared and confused.

"What's the emergency? I brought everyone I could think of that we can trust." Dean stood up, and Cas followed his actions. Sam was sitting at the table, and he looked up. Gabe stood as well, and nodded at Lucifer. With that, Luci's eyes went wide. 

"No. Not again." Gabe and Cas nodded. Charlie and Kevin quickly caught on, Leaving Micheal and the Winchester's a little confused. 

 

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Dean asked. Lucifer sighed, and Dean immediately got that it was worse than he knew. 

"You two might wanna sit down." Dean sat down on the couch, and Cas sat next to him, and grabbed Dean's hand to support either himself or Dean, he couldn't tell which. "Dean, there are things you don't know about Cas. I'm assuming you already knew that. But some of these things are serious, and are only for those most trusted to him to know. The time has come for you to know this." He paused, searching for the right words. "This town is pretty accepting, but there are a few exceptions, just like in every town. One of these exceptions is Azazel Patterson. 

"A few years ago, when Cas came out, Azazel decided he wasn't ok with it. Of course, at this time, Cas had a secret boyfriend that only Gabe, Charlie, Kevin, and I knew about. Now, we never once leaked this secret. But somehow, Azazel found out. So he told Cas to dump him, or he would make Cas's life a living hell. 

"Well, Cas couldn't bring himself to do it. So Azazel started to fulfill his promise. At first it was small things, like spreading small rumors that barely impacted Cas's social standing. But the it got worse and worse. Eventually, Cas only had two friends at school, Charlie and Kevin. And then the beatings started. By this time, Cas's boyfriend had dumped him, but Azazel didn't care. He would beat Cas to the point of almost going unconscious nearly every day. 

"Eventually, it got to the point of hospitalization, so I put a stop to it. I was a Junior at the time, so I threatened Azazel that if he went near Cas ever again, he wouldn't be able to live to regret it. But, like I said, this was a few years ago. I guess since I'm no longer at school, Azazel isn't afraid of me anymore. So he's starting it up again."

When Lucifer finished, the room was quiet. Cas was squeezing Dean's hand, watching his face for any sign of a reaction that was a little too negative. Charlie looked around the room, seeing the people she loved in distress. She sighed, which drew attention in the silent room. She quickly collected herself, then began to speak.

"We aren't going to let that happen. Not again. I refuse to stand by. I can't just watch it happen this time." There was an edge to her voice, almost like regret. But the look on her face hid it, and the whole room knew that there was no way this was going to happen again. after a beat of silence, she looked around. "We're gonna need a plan."

~Time skip because I have no idea how they're gonna plan this thing~

"Alright." Charlie clapped her hands together, adding emphasis to her words. "Let's go over this, from the top. Ok. So, Dean, you and Cas are going to keep dating, because Azazel can go fuck himself. He'll hear about it, and that'll spring the actual plan into action. When he does, I'm literally 1000% sure he'll corner Cas and try to give him hell. That's where Lucifer and Michael come in.

"You guys will be substitute for a day. This will get you into the school. Don't worry, I looked it up, you don't even need a degree to be a sub. So, after school, you guys will go wait by Cas's locker. Dean, you'll also be nearby, waiting for Azazel just like Mike and Luci. When Azazel shows up, before he can even lay a finger on Cas, you three will corner him and let Cas go. Then, you'll kick his ass. Then, Kevin and I will show up and tell him that if he ever tries to hurt Cas again, we will do so much worse. 

"The next day, we'll make an announcement at lunch that Azazel won't be bothering any one anymore, and if he does, we'll take care of it." She finished with a determined look in her eyes, certain this plan was going to work. They had planned for everything they thought Azazel would do. They knew his behaviors, and exactly what would go down. They had stopped him before, they could do it again. 

But little did they know, Azazel himself was planning. And this time, he had something up his sleeve. Something they could never have planned for.


	12. The Things They Didn't Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick TW: Beating, homophobic language, weapon violence

It had been a week since Azazel had threatened Cas, and the time had come. As the day trudged on, everyone became increasingly nervous, except for Micheal and Lucifer, as they were 20 and could easily kick a teenager's ass with no problem. Cas was in his final hour, staring at the clock as his stomach twisted in knots. A million thoughts raced through his head, none of them good. 

What if they screwed up? What if Azazel hurt Dean? What if Michael and Luci couldn't take him down before he got to Cas? And the worst of all, What if they all just walked away and left him to Azazel's will? 

He shuddered at that last thought, and tried to shake all his anxiety away. Everything would be fine. After all, they had spent all week planning for every possible situation. Charlie didn't let anything get in her way. When she was determined, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. For many kids at St. Lawrence High, this meant freedom. For Cas, this meant either being free from one of his greatest fears, or being subjected to another year and a half of hell. He wasn't sure he could do either. But he had no choice. Cas reluctantly stood and packed his bag, heading for his locker. There was no way he could get out of this. If he left right away, the plan couldn't go through and he would be subjected to hell once again.

He sighed as he arrived at his locker. His heart was in his throat. His only reassurance was that Dean came up to him and gave him a quick kiss, telling him that everything would turn out ok. Cas stood at his locker, biding his time as the locker bay around him cleared out. When he was certain he was alone, he shut his locker and turned around. What he saw made him go wide-eyed.

There stood Azazel, but he had two teachers behind him to back him up. Before he could yell to Michael, Dean, and Lucifer, Azazel covered Cas's mouth and slammed him against the lockers. He grunted in pain, and watched with terror flooding through his veins as the teachers stalked off to where Michael and Lucifer were waiting. They came back a minute or so later, holding the two at gunpoint. Cas's eyes began to fill with tears as another boy, a senior Cas didn't know, came out holding Dean with a knife to his throat. 

Azazel grinned as the tears began to stream down Cas's cheeks. It was hopeless. If anyone tried to make a move, they would all die. There was no stopping Azazel. Charlie had planned for everything, every occasion she could think of. Unfortunately, she never could've thought of this.

"Hey, pretty boy. Remember me?" Azazel's breath was hot in Cas's face. He tried to recoil, but winced as Azazel simply pushed him back up against the locker. "I told you to cut this piece of shit out of your life. Why didn't you listen? You knew what was coming." Azazel let go of Cas, but kept his eyes on him. Cas stood his ground, refusing to give even an inch to Azazel. He wouldn't be helpless again. He couldn't.

"No words, huh faggot? Well, that's ok. I'll just beat you senseless without hearing your pathetic attempts at wit." He approached Cas, looming over him. His yellow eyes flashed in the florescent lights. Suddenly, Cas felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He gasped and fell to the floor, trying to catch some air. He heard Dean cry out, but it sounded far away. Azazel laughed, and picked Cas up. He slammed him up against the lockers again, laughing when he grunted at the hard collision of his head against the cold, unforgiving metal. Cas tried to get in a hit, but it was useless. Azazel simply responded by punching him hard in the face. He felt blood trickle down his chin, from where the hit had split his lip open. 

Azazel threw blow after blow, hitting Cas in every place he could think of. The face, the stomach, the throat, even the groin. No place was safe from that monster's wrath. Just halfway through it, Cas gave up trying to fight back. He was just as defenseless as he was all those years ago. 

After about 2 minutes of this, Azazel finally decided he was bored. He looked at Cas, who was lying on the ground, limp and bloody, and gave him one last kick. He started to walk away, but changed his mind. He quickly turned back, and for added emphasis, spit on Cas and bent down to his level. 

"If you ever think about disobeying me again, I promise you, it will be so much worse." And with that, he stood. He only stopped once to talk to the senior that was holding Dean. "Get rid of the boyfriend. These two," he nodded towards Michael and Lucifer, "can be let go. I'm sure they won't be a threat." He walked away, leaving the four boys to the will of the teachers and the senior. 

The teachers released Michael and Lucifer from their grasp, but kept the guns on them so they couldn't do anything. Cas got the strength to look up, and he saw just how frantic Dean was. Cas had never seen him like this. He couldn't have cared less when he was the one in danger, but if it was someone he loved, all his alarms went off. There were tears streaming down his face, and there was a terror in his eyes that scared Cas more than he had ever been scared before. 

In this fear, Cas found a strength he didn't think was there. He stood up, and began to walk towards Dean. He didn't know what he was going to do, he just knew that he was going to save Dean. And that's when it happened.

~le switch to Dean because this chapter needs to be longer and y'all need to know what happens through Dean's eyes~

Dean was sitting in his last hour, waiting for the bell to ring. He was feeling a lot of things, but for the most part, it was anxiety for Cas and excitement to kick Azazel's ass. No one messed with his boyfriend without getting the special Dean Winchester treatment. And today, Azazel was going to get a taste of his own medicine.

He stared at the clock, wishing time would go just a little bit faster. His teacher droned on, her voice like a buzz in the background. Around him, kids were beginning to pack up. There was only 2 minutes left of class, but Dean knew it would last an eternity to him. He packed up, the anxiety he felt for Cas stirring in his chest. 

Finally, the bell rang, setting him free. He quickly ran to his locker and packed his stuff away. He then went to see Micheal and Lucifer, who were waiting just down the hall.

"Hey guys. So, looks like we're doing this, huh?" Micheal sighed, and Luci rubbed his hands together, an evil grin forming on his face. "Anyway, I'll be right back. Cas needs me, I can sense it." With that, he walked off, leaving the two archangels exchanging looks. 

He found Cas at his locker. Cas was so nervous that he was moving at a snails pace and was shaking like a leaf. Dean quickly wrapped his arms around Cas and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Hey, babe, don't worry. Everything is going to be ok. We'll kick his ass, and you won't ever have to worry again. I promise." He gave Cas a small reassuring smile, then turned and jogged back to Micheal and Luci.

"So." Lucifer said. "It's up to us now. The fate of little Cassie's high school life is in our hands." He sighed, a look in his eyes that Dean couldn't quite place. "Let's do this." And with that, they turned and stalked off the to their hiding places. Michael and Luci were hiding down the hall, acting as if they were simple substitutes having a discussion about school. Dean was hiding in the locker bay, just two rows behind Cas's locker. 

And they waited. 

Suddenly, Dean felt something at his throat and heavy breathing on the back of his neck.

"Hey fag. Looks like your precious little boyfriend didn't listen to Azazel. Now he's gonna suffer, and your gonna watch." Dean had no choice but to follow the boy as he was hauled down the where Cas's locker was. As they rounded the corner, what Dean saw horrified him.

Michael and Lucifer were being held at gunpoint by two teachers Dean had seen in the hallways at times. Cas was being pinned to the locker, with tears in his eyes as he spotted Dean. He wanted to call out and tell Cas to run, but he couldn't make a sound. 

"Hey, pretty boy. Remember me?" Dean heard Azazel talking, but it was as if he were watching a movie. Except this movie was all to real, and he wanted to get out of it. But he wouldn't - couldn't - without Cas. "I told you to cut this piece of shit out of your life. Why didn't you listen? You knew what was coming." Azazel was going to hurt Cas, and there was nothing he could do. He looked at Micheal and Lucifer, who were terrified, but were doing an amazing job of hiding it. 

Suddenly, he saw Azazel punch Cas. He tried to wriggle free, and he let out a cry. But the knife bit at the sensitive skin on his throat and he was forced into complacency. He watched helplessly and silently as Azazel threw blow after blow, and Cas couldn't fight back. All too soon he was nothing more than a pitiful, bleeding lump on the floor. 

Finally, after what was surely an eternity, Azazel got bored. He was going to walk way, but adding salt to an open wound was too much to resist. Dean watched as Azazel spit on Cas, and bent down to his level. His voice rang through the deserted locker bay, sounding like poison.

"If you ever think about disobeying me again, I promise you, it will be so much worse." He decided that was enough. He stood, and looked at the three men he was using to hold Dean, Micheal, and Lucifer. "Get rid of the boyfriend. These two," he nodded towards Michael and Lucifer, "can be let go. I'm sure they won't be a threat."

Dean watched as the teachers holding Micheal and Lucifer backed away, but still kept the guns on them. He watched as Cas, beaten and bloody, pulled himself up from the floor. He watched as Cas looked him in the eyes, sensing the fear there. He watched as Cas found a sudden burst of strength and pulled himself up from the floor. He watched as Cas began to limp towards him. He felt the blade leave his neck, and he tried to go to Cas, but the boy still held him tight. And then, there was blinding pain. He felt himself crumple to the ground. And then he felt nothing.

~back to Cas~

Cas screamed as he saw the senior plunge the knife into Dean's stomach. He watched as life happened both too fast and too slow. The teachers and the kid ran off, and Michael pulled out his phone and began to dial 911. That happened in the blink of an eye. Dean crumpled to the ground, and Luci ran around the corner, either chasing the 3 men or going to find Charlie and Kevin. That happened in what seemed like an eternity. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Cas had pulled off his shirt and ran over to Dean. Using his shirt to staunch the blood flow, he pulled Dean's head onto his lap. He looked down at his boyfriend, the one he loved, as tears streamed down his face.

"Dean, please be ok. Please," he chocked out. His voice sounded like it belonged to someone else, someone deserving of pity, but right now he couldn't care less. "you can't leave me now. I can't do this without you." He could barely see through all the tears in his eyes, but he heard 3 pairs of footsteps running towards him, and lots of shouting. Charlie crashed down beside him, taking the shirt from his hands and applying pressure to the wound so he wouldn't have to. 

Below him, Dean coughed and looked blearily upwards. He smiled a little, and reached up to place a hand on Cas's cheek.

"My angel." He laughed weakly at his own comment. Cas started crying even harder. He couldn't lose Dean. Sure, they had only been dating a few weeks, but he already knew he was in love. For the first time in a long time, he had more than his family and Charlie and Kevin to keep a smile on his ever-serious face.

"Please, Dean, please don't leave me. I love you. I can't lose you now. Don't make me have to say goodbye. Not today." He leaned down and kissed Dean gently, not caring that his tears were flowing faster than ever before. When he pulled away, he realized that Dean wasn't responding. 

Everything after that moment seemed to happen like a movie scene. Cas started screaming, and Michael and Luci fought to pull him away before it could get worse. Paramedics and cops ran in, and took over the scene. Charlie stepped back, letting the professionals do their job. Everything inside Cas was fighting with each other. Part of him wanted to run away and never come back, never admit that this was real. Another part wanted to rush to Dean's side and never leave, make sure he was ok and was always going to stay that way. The last part just wanted to hide in Dean's apartment in the dark, breathing in his scent and pretending he was lying right there next to him.

But Dean was being pulled away on a stretcher, and he had to do something now. He pulled out of Micheal and Lucifer's grip and ran after the paramedics, determined to stay with the one he loved. He followed them into the ambulance, and they let him stay. That was the last thing he remembered.


	13. The Aftermath

The ambulance sped away, only sirens and lights giving any hint to the chaos going on in the back. Two paramedics were giving each other numbers. One asked Cas if he knew Dean's blood type, and he only murmured a quiet "A+" in response. Dean's hand was limp in his own, but still Cas refused to let go. He was going to hang onto Dean until the last second. Dean had already lost so much, and he had never needed Cas more than now. He wouldn't let go.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only 5 minutes, they arrived at the hospital. A nurse put a shock blanket over Cas's shoulders, and gently pulled him away as people rushed Dean away. He was numb. Everything hurt, and he felt like screaming, but he also didn't feel anything at all. He could only sit there and wait. Everything inside of him was so spaced out, he barely even noticed when Micheal and the rest of them arrived. 

"Hey Cassie." A soft voice chirped from beside him. He looked up from where he was staring down at his hands to see Gabriel in front of him. He gave a weak smile in response. Gabriel's arm was around Sam's shoulder's, and Cas didn't know if it was to comfort the boy or keep him from rushing into Dean's room.

"He'll be alright. He has to. He's been through worse, and I can't go back to dad's. Not now that I'm dating Gabe." Sam's voice was wobbly, and it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Cas. A wave of guilt crashed over Cas. He hadn't even considered that his friends would be going through something just as bad as he was. And poor Sammy was watching his older brother fight for his life, and it sounded like it wasn't the first time. In less than a second, Cas had pulled Sam into his arms and was crying into the boy's shoulder. 

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been around in the first place, if I had just ended it, he wouldn't be here right now. Sam, I'm sorry." Suddenly, Cas was shut up by a sharp slap on the back of his head. He looked up, confused, and saw Sam glaring at him angrily.

"Shut up, Castiel. I don't ever want to hear you saying anything like that ever again. You are the best thing to ever happen to Dean. I'd never seen him as happy as he is when he's with you. This isn't your fault. And if you had left him, he'd probably have ended up like my dad." Sniffing, Cas nodded. Sam always seemed gentle, but Dean had once told him about how he threatened to shoot John for coming after dean with a kitchen knife. In that moment, Cas didn't see Sammy, his boyfriend's younger brother. No. He saw Sam Winchester, the boy who grew up in a house where he never really knew his mother, his father was a drunken monster, and his brother was the only family he had. He saw Sam Winchester, who would die to protect the ones he loved. And Cas knew everything would turn out fine.

About an hour later, they were all by Dean's side in a hospital room, chatting about everything and nothing in particular. Micheal and Lucifer were in the hall, giving statements to the police. Cas had already given his, and he was exhausted from living and reliving so much action and trauma in one day. 

However, there was a bright side to all of this. The doctor had stitched Dean up, and said he would be awake in about an hour or so. He would have to stay a few days to make sure the stitching didn't reopen or there was no permanent internal damage, but he should be fine. So while the room was waiting, Cas was sitting right by Dean's side holding his hand and waiting for him to wake up.

Charlie was telling a story up her first date with a guy in like 6th grade, and everyone was cracking up. Suddenly, Cas froze. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had felt Dean squeeze his hand. He quickly shushed everyone, and hope flickered inside him. 

"Dean? You ok? Do you need anything?" Cas asked gently. He didn't want to rush Dean into speaking or moving if it might hurt him. He wasn't sure how much more pain the man could take. All eyes were on the couple, and the feeling in the room was a mix of anxiety and joy. Then, with two words, all the tension was gone.

"Hey angel." Dean whispered from the bed. Cas started crying, and his smile covered his whole face. Everyone cheered as Cas kissed Dean. Sam rushed up and pushed Cas out of the way, and hugged his brother as tight as he could without causing damage. "Geez guys, calm down. You act like I was dead or something." He tried to sit up, but winced at a pain in his stomach.

"Dean, baby, take it slow. Please don't rip your stitches. You're not invincible." Dean grinned up cheesily at his boyfriend, who had concern written all over his face. He listened though, and simply relaxed as he looked at everyone in the room.

"Oh guys, why are you all here? All this concern over little old me?" These simple words caused everyone to start shouting. 

"DEAN WINCHESTER"

"YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK"

"IF YOU HAD DIED I WOULD'VE BEEN STUCK WITH THESE TWO UNBEARABLE GEEKS AGAIN"

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STICK ME WITH DAD AGAIN"

A nurse ran into the room, shushing them and saying something about the other patients. They all silenced immediately, muttering apologies. She said she'd be back with a doctor to check on Dean in a little bit. Then she left shutting the door behind her and leaving the group alone.

The second she left, they all burst into laughter, except for Dean, because it hurt him to laugh. But the joy in the room was palpable. As long as Dean was there, as long as they were all going to be ok, they were happy. That is, they were, until a cop came into the room and asked everyone who hadn't been on scene when the incident occurred to leave. 

Once only the 6 were left, the officer sat down, a look in his eyes that made them all anxious. Cas grabbed Dean's hand, not sure who he was trying to reassure more. Sure, Dean had nearly died, but Cas had suffered years of trauma, as well as nearly losing the guy he loved. 

"So, as you probably realize, Dean here was our first concern on scene. Everyone at the station is very glad you're ok, I kept them updated, and Tracy says she thinks you're cute." At that, Dean coughed out a pained laugh, and the rest smiled. "However, we have some bad news. Because Dean was the priority, the culprits got away. So, while we are trained professionals, and you 6 are young and have been through considerable amounts of psychological damage today, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask for your assistance." The officer paused for a moment to allow it to ink in, and silence fell over the room. "I understand if you folks are adverse to it, but-"

"If we help, you'll be able to catch the bastards?" Cas interrupted. There was a serious look on his face, and his eyes didn't leave the officers. Nodding, he responded.

"Yes. But it will take time, more than you may be comfortable with. Obviously, it will be a few weeks before Dean can return to school. Now, we are certain that the 4 know how much trouble they're in, and are more than likely going to stay hidden for about a month or so before everything dies down and they can return to their lives without conflict. But when they do, we need you to be our eyes and ears. I can give you some other officers direct numbers, as well as my own, and you will need to let us know what you hear. The school will need substitutes, so if you two are willing," he turned to Micheal and Lucifer, "you can return there and teach until the two return. This will give you direct access to the gossip and so on." 

Once he finished, a thoughtful silence fell over the room. Charlie cleared her throat after a moment, drawing the attention to her. She looked at the floor for a moment, going over what she was about to say in her head.

"If I do this, I may need to do some, erm, not exactly legal things. I can hack really well, and since most gossip and rumors are online nowadays..." She trailed off, her nerves only showing a little on her face. The officer pursed his lips for a moment before sighing and nodding. 

"If that is what it takes to catch these monsters, then yes, as long as you keep it quiet. Nobody but the 7 of us can know about it." Charlie nodded solemnly in response. Cas took a moment and looked around. These were his friends; his family. He would do anything for them. And he hoped to god they would return the favor. 

"Well, I can't answer for everyone in the room, but I know I'm in. Those assholes need to be stopped." Everyone nodded, confirming that they too were in on the plan. Before the cop could respond and give some more info, there was a gentle knock at the door. They all look toward it, and Sam opened it with concern in his eyes.

"Hey, Dean, I need to talk to you. Alone. And fast." Dean, nodded, and Sam entered. Cas gave his boyfriend a soft kiss before leaving the brothers alone. "So the doctor just talked to me. They said you should be fine from the injury and all that junk. But they went through your phone and called Dad while you were out. He's on his way here now." Dean gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply. That was the last thing he needed. Everything was already bad, and it would be even worse if John met Cas. "I'm sorry Dean. I didn't know. I would've stopped them-"

"It's ok Sammy. I can deal with this. I'm an adult. And there's cops here if it gets bad. I just can't believe they called him. I'm legally an adult now. They didn't need to do that" The door creaked open, and the doctor poked his head in. Sam and Dean shared a look before the doctor could even speak.

"Mr. Winchester? Your father is here. He would like to speak to you." Dean nodded, but quietly told the doctor he would like Sam and a cop in here as well. Everyone else was asked to remain in the hallway. About a minute later, Dean request was fulfilled, and John was standing just inside the closed door, looking at Dean in a way the boys couldn't recognize.

"Dean. You know damn well I don't approve of your lifestyle. But maybe it's just a phase. Once you get over that and get better, I wanna invite you to come back home. Sammy too." John studied the floor, to anxious to look at his son. Dean closed his eyes and fixed his jaw, calming himself before responding.

"John, who I am is not a phase. So all I can say to you is, go take your invitation and shove it all the way up your ass. Sammy and I are happy in our situation. The only way I want your help is paying for this damned medical bill." John looked like he was about to attack, but he had an eye on the cop seated a few feet away. 

"Fine. I'll pay the bill. But I wish the guy had killed you." And with that, John walked out of the room and down the hall. Sam looked at dean before giving him a hug and whispering a thank you into his brother's ear. Dean smiled and simply patted Sam's back in response. Dean would die to take care of Sam, and that meant keeping both of them as far away from John as possible. For the first time since Azazel, Dean felt that everything would actually be ok this time.


End file.
